Three years ago, my company stopped being fun. After 10 years in business, negativity spread virally through my staff of 20. After years of satisfaction from leading a team of happy employees, I felt trapped, victimized, and unable to fix problems plaguing my company. My staff turned on me, customer service suffered, and an ugly cloud shrouded my business, employees and life.
After free-falling into an abyss of negativity, I fired seven staffers, let others leave on their own, and rethought how my company conducts its business. I accepted responsibility for running the company, and slowly hired replacements. Now, work is fun again. The staff is happier and more productive than ever, and our customers are benefiting.
Eight months ago, in the midst of the turnaround, Sharon Hoover, my business coach, who I had re-engaged in mid-2007 after shunning for about two years, sent me a book called Energy Leadership. When I finally read it three months ago, I was surprised at how closely the book paralleled my own gut-wrenching experience.
Through a character called Richard, CEO of a marketing company, author Bruce Schneider tells the story of a firm with a staff that is frustrated, unconstructive and unproductive. Schneider tells an inspiring story about a mysterious blight of negativity plaguing the company and about how its leader regains control and restores the company back to health.
Because I connected with the book, I called Schneider and asked if I could interview him. Our conversation reinforced the goodness, consideration and generosity that you must show other people in order to succeed in business and in life.
Schneider, a licensed psychotherapist with a degree in social work, is founder of Shrewsbury, N.J.-based IPEC Coaching. His school is accredited by the International Coach Federation, an educational organization that accredits coaches and awards coach credentials, Associate Certified Coach, Professional Certified Coach and Master Certified Coach (MCC). ICF is similar to the CFP Board of Standards, which until about a decade ago was connected to its educational arm, The College of Financial Planning. About 3,000 people have received one of the ICF's three designations.
Schneider's company is the only coaching program in New York and New Jersey accredited by ICF. IPEC offers two coaching certificates, a Core Energy Coaching certificate, and a more advanced Accredited Energy Leadership Coach certificate, which requires 300 hours of education. (Getting ICF's MCC credential requires 200 hours of education plus 2,500 hours of experience as a coach practitioner.) Schneider says IPEC has trained about 3,000 coaches.
Schneider's ideas are pretty far out. Schneider, 48, has a Ph.D. in metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. He says that we all have our own "energy" that causes good and bad interactions with others. While the left-brain reporter in me demands objective scientific data, I intuitively know Schneider's ideas have merit. And while you may not buy into the science, his ideas may help you connect better with people and make you more successful.
Gluck: You've really accomplished quite a lot.
Schneider: I had a life-changing experience in 1978 when a drunk driver killed himself and almost me. Since then, it's been a journey. A lot of these concepts were discovered from meditation and trial and error in business. I've experienced a tremendous amount of success and don't feel like I work for it. It's fun.
Gluck: You believe people radiate energy. What do you mean?
Schneider: I don't just believe that, as in, it's a matter of opinion. It's a fact. Einstein proved that with the theory of relativity. Basically, E=MC2 means energy is related to mass. Everything that you see, whether it's human, animal or solid, is made of energy. Energy, at its subatomic level, vibrates at different speeds. There are two types of energy: catabolic, which is destructive, and anabolic, which is constructive. Basically, everyone is walking around with a certain type of energy within them and that energy determines their world experience. I relate this to consciousness, which is your awareness of who you are in relation to who you really are. You have a predetermined view of who you are based on your past. That is your level of consciousness. All of your negative experiences and limitations that people have created for you and you've created for yourself are creating who you are today. That's your level of consciousness. People who are really competitive, negative, confrontational, or argumentative have level-two energy. Level three is exponentially higher. It's complicated but simple. You have a thought. That thought translates to emotions in your body. If you have a negative thought, you release negative chemicals, like cortisol and adrenaline. Your thoughts are determined by your consciousness. Who are you? How do you see the world? How do you see the people in it? What's your life philosophy? That's why I talk about energy as being so important. Based on who you believe you are, you create your world.
Gluck:But I might produce a lot of cortisol because my father did, and I inherited his genetic makeup.
Schneider: The beauty of consciousness is that once you have an awareness of why you do the things you do, then you can change. It doesn't matter that your father was negative. Your history is written in pencil, not pen. The past does not determine what you can do and your perspective. People who say, "Today, I'm going to choose who I'm going to be. It doesn't make a difference what my parents did. It doesn't make a difference what limitations I've experienced in the past. Today, I choose to be who I want to be." You then take the first step. When you acquire the tools to live to your potential, you've taken the second step. When you implement a new way of being, then you're on your way.
Gluck: To many readers, your ideas might sound a little like Kumbaya, crunchy-granola, New Age philosophy.
Schneider: A lot of people think that until they look into it. It's not New Age at all. We're talking about energy through the field of quantum physics. Everything I'm talking about can be proven. This is not an airy-fairy type of thing. It's a spiritual but practical way to be. What we teach is called "core energy coaching." I've literally taught these ideas to rocket scientists at a Fortune 100 company, for instance. They got it because they understood energy. They understood the difference it meant to their success level. They were so hungry for more, they hired our coaches and implemented the core energy coaching process in their organization. It's spreading throughout that company.
Gluck: Explain how ideas become energy.
Schneider: If you have a negative attitude or if you're feeling down, you actually emanate that to the people. Even if you're trying to be positive and faking it, people can feel it. People are susceptible to other people's thoughts and feelings. Your negative thought releases emotions and chemicals into your body, which then create a feeling. But let's take the other extreme, someone who is extremely positive. Such a person may get down once in a while, but for the most part you see this person as genuine, honest and open. This is the type of person that you would trust with your life. You just want to be around this person. This person is exhibiting anabolic energy. Where does it come from? It's his thought process. My point is that thoughts create your reality. So forget about the word "energy." Basically, if you're a positive thinker, you're going to radiate positivity.
Gluck: In a way, what you're saying is, if you're nice to people, then they'll be nice back.
Schneider: No. It doesn't matter what you do as much as who you are. The world is filled with people who are nice on the outside and negative on the inside. You can be nice to people, but what's your intention? Is it to help? Is it to create a unique partnership and winning opportunity? Is it to manipulate to get what you want? If your intention is to help others, you're going to be more successful. People are going to want to work with you. They're going to trust and respect you. If your intention is to get what you want first and then if the other person gets what he wants, great, that's a bonus, then you're not going to be as successful.
Gluck: So intent is really important.
Schneider: There is a world of difference between someone whose intention is to help himself first and then another person and someone who only wants to help another person. A lot of people believe that they have a win-win attitude, but most of them don't walk the walk. If I asked 100 businesspeople, 99 out of 100 would say, "Yeah, I feel that for me to win, my client has to win, too." But at their core what they really believe is "It's my goal to win. My secondary goal is to help the other person win, too. That's a bonus."
There are seven levels of energy. Basically, each level has a perspective of life. Most people are at level three, at best, which is manipulative. It's positive because you care about other people but you care about yourself first. If you really did say, "Listen, either we both win or I'm not moving forward," that would be a completely different perspective. When potential clients know that, they want to work with you. You may say, "I will only do business with someone who I feel I'm really helping them."
That's great to say it, but how many people actually believe it? People understand the value in this. When you try to manipulate people to get what you want first, you're repelling them.
Gluck: You have a Ph.D. What is that in?
Schneider: I have a Ph.D. in metaphysics. I'm also a licensed clinical psychotherapist. I was an entrepreneur, consultant, mentor and a sports coach. I did a lot of things. Nothing really has brought me the level of satisfaction and fulfillment as professional coaching has. I'm also a Master Certified Coach.
Gluck: A degree in metaphysics?
Schneider: It's something I studied in my 30s. Metaphysics is about the nature of reality. It goes beyond physics. I'm into quantum physics, which is really the work of energy leadership. It's the measurement of energy and vibration frequencies-things that are scientifically proven. Metaphysics literally means beyond physics. It's the philosophy of life, who we are, and why we're here. Those things interest me.
Gluck: Let's go through your Energetic Self-Perception Chart.
Schneider: There are three circles. The one in the middle is called Self. The second one is called Self-Mastery, and the third is Self-Transcedence. If your energy level is contained within the Self circle, you're isolated, separate. You have self-awareness, but not Self-Mastery. That first circle is very dark for that reason. The second circle, Self-Mastery, is where you become master of your life and mind. You realize that you create your reality, not the other way around. In the second circle, you create your life. The third circle is Self-Transcendence. That's where you transcend the limitations of what you've been taught, the limitations of the self-concept that you have. You basically transcend the ego and you're into a new realm of awareness. Within these three circles are seven levels. These are seven levels of consciousness, seven levels of energy, seven levels of leadership effectiveness.
Gluck: What you experience in the first level, that being self, you're kind of limited to apathy and anger. Right?
Schneider: Correct.
Gluck: Can you experience absolute passion as well? Are those seven attributes exclusive to each ring?
Schneider: No. If your level of awareness is two, part of your experience could still be level seven. But most likely you're going to ignore that feeling. If you're at level five, however, you have a greater awareness of the four levels below you. If you have level-two energy, you're limited to operating at level one or two. You may have glimpses of compassion and joy, but you don't feel it. It's not part of your reality. But if you move to level three, you have the awareness and the potential of living levels one, two or three. You have more choices. The higher you are on the chart, the more energy you have, the more possibilities and potential you have. Level seven incorporates all of the other energy levels. To determine where you are on the chart, you want to measure your entire life perspective-not just how you feel this moment, but how you see the world. You may have a little bit of this, a little bit of that in any given moment. Your overall energy level is going to determine your reality. That's your E-Factor. We have an assessment to measure your E-Factor.
Gluck: Take me through the different words and explain the ideas that you're communicating in this chart.
Schneider: If your core energy is level one, you're in big trouble. This is someone that has no self-confidence, no self-esteem. This person will never be successful as an entrepreneur. Besides the fact that he feels like a victim, and doesn't have faith in himself, he is apathetic. There is a lot of level-one energy in people from different walks of life, and many financial planners have part of this type of energy. But it's not their core. If your core energy is two, then you're looking to take advantage of people. You're looking to manipulate them to win. People at level two don't trust people. You feel like it's a dog-eat-dog world and the only way for you to win is for someone else to lose. The person that you'll get as a client is a victim. You'll prey upon them. You'll use their resources and move on to another victim. Now, this is the extreme, of course, because most people have a lot of level-two energy.
Gluck: And are there people that have level-one energy?
Schneider: Very few, fortunately.
Gluck: So maybe 2% of the world's population might be described as level one?
Schneider: Between 85% and 90% percent are in this first circle. Of those, only about 10% are between levels one and two. At the very bottom, we're talking not even 1%.
Gluck: So what you're saying is that most people are level two?
Schneider: Yes. Most people see a world of conflict, believing that the way to win is to compete and to beat somebody else. Unfortunately, the win-lose perspective dominates not only sports but business, and sometimes life in general.
Gluck: How do we get to the next level of awareness?
Schneider: Moving to level three requires taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, and how you live. Instead of being the victim and giving power to someone else, or being conflictual and angry and blaming everybody else, you say, "This person doesn't make me angry. This person just does what they do. I decide what that means. I decide how I'm going to respond. I take responsibility for my thoughts and feelings." You release others from responsibility for your life and take it on yourself.
Gluck: Say that again.
Schneider: At level one, your level of happiness is determined by what everybody else does. At level two, it's pretty much the same thing, except you're fighting through to win. At level three, you stop looking at others to create your reality for you. You become cooperative. You start to see people for who they are instead of trying to manipulate them or letting them take advantage of you. At level one, it's "I lose." At level two, it's "I win, you lose." At level three, it's "I win and I want you to win, too, but my main goal is for me to win." Level three is where you start to release the negativity holding you back. Level three is a light-year's jump for some people. Out of the 10% of people at level three and above, probably 99% of them have level three.
Gluck: Tell me about level four.
Schneider: At level four, you derive satisfaction putting others first. You don't take anything personally. What people do is about them. Instead of thinking about how to respond in terms of what this person did to me, level four is "What can I do to help this person?" A financial advisor at level four is going to be seen as trustworthy. Success comes from giving, servicing and caring for others. Financial planning is merely a means to do that.
Gluck: Level four is selflessness, being more committed to making you the winner than making me the winner.
Schneider: Yes. Now a lot of people say that, but don't really believe it.
Gluck: Does it work in business?
Schneider: It works to some degree. To some degree, level two and level three work. Say you're a prospective client deciding between an advisor with level-three energy versus one at level four. You, of course, don't know his energy level. The level-three advisor tells you everything that you want to hear. The level-four advisor tells you things you didn't expect to hear. Regardless of what they're saying, you're getting a feeling about these two people. The level-three advisor seems like he's trying to convince you of something that you want. The level-four advisor makes you feel like he really cares about you and you can trust him. You don't know why. It's just a feeling. Unless the level-three advisor is so good at manipulating, you will undoubtedly choose the level-four advisor. Not many advisors have level-four energy. They're social workers, teachers, nurses and doctors. These are people that put themselves second. People that have a lot of level-four energy are very successful, but level-five energy is where you want to go in business.
Gluck: Tell me about level-five people.
Schneider: They're the best businesspeople in the world. They know how to create win-win. They're not judging. The more judgments you make, the lower your energy level, period-whether you judge yourself, others, situations or anything. So people at level five make fewer judgments about others. They're not looking at right and wrong. They're not trying to make a good out of a bad. They're looking for opportunity. That's the key word at level five, opportunity to connect, grow, work and win together. So it's win-win where we all win or no one wins. It's a level of peace because you don't have to manipulate. It's very rare to find someone average level five, but the best businesspeople have a lot of level-five energy.
Gluck: How rare is it for somebody to take your self-assessment and come back at level five?
Schneider: One out of 1,000.
Gluck: Will certain people draw from me my level five versus my level two?
Schneider: If you're truly at level five, you feel like what you do is not work. You create abundance for yourself and others effortlessly. That's what we teach people. To automatically attract what they want, as opposed to trying to forcibly create it. The way to move up the scale is to release everything that you're not to create more of who you are. Who you really are is level six and seven.
Gluck: Huh?
Schneider: Level seven is who we truly are. At our core, we're absolutely perfect. But most people don't ever get there because they're living an illusion. Who you truly are is level seven. Who you think you are may be level three. That's your level of consciousness; it's the gap between the two. The work we do helps bridge that gap. You need to break free from the fears, self-doubt, anger, conflict, and feeling that you need to manipulate and judge other people.
Gluck: You're systematizing behavior so it can be analyzed and changed.
Schneider: Once you're aware of this, then you can absolutely change. Just with this conversation and understanding of the chart, you might find yourself in the next few days stopping in the middle of a conversation and saying to yourself, "I've been trying to manipulate this person." That's level three. What would level four feel like? Or level five? Just having awareness allows you choice.
Gluck: Your book tells us about a CEO named Richard who sees bad energy spread like a virus in his business. How can that happen?
Schneider: If you have a leader who instills confidence, who is able to inspire and motivate you, you're going to do better. Period. If you have a leader that's going to crawl into a ball or get angry and yell at people, you're either going to get defiant or you're going to give up. Richard's business was an extension of him. When he felt great about his business, then everybody else was thriving. His business had some potentially negative staffers, but they didn't really affect this business negatively until things started to go sour and Richard took an energy dive. Whether it's pheromones or just simply an attitude other people can pick up, his staff walked into the office and knew Richard was negative, depressed or angry. His staff was going to be looking for another job, fighting with each other, or becoming victims. Leaders are not necessarily judged by what they do but by who they are. Your core energy affects every person around you. Some of his managers became negative and Richard didn't have the ability to counteract it, and then they controlled the business. They created the overall feeling in the company. Every person that comes into your organization is at a different energy level. There's an energetic makeup not only within your body but in your organization. You can look at an organization and figure out where its people are, and that determines its level of success.
Gluck: IPEC trains coaches in your methodology. Right?
Schneider: For years, we only had our coach training program for people who want to be professional coaches. This year we added Life Potentials Training, which is appropriate for financial advisors. You don't have to take eight months of training and spend thousands of dollars to master the core energy coaching (CEC) process. Instead, a 30-plus-hour program over one weekend provides the basics for $750. There's a Web-based community that you also get, and it's offered at 11 locations around the country.
Gluck: Your program is accredited by the International Coach Federation?
Schneider: Yes. The CEC certificate program costs about $8,000 and takes about a year. It is held during four weekends over a period of about a year and five to ten hours of training by phone weekly.
Andrew Gluck, a longtime writer and journalist, is CEO of Advisor Products Inc. (www.advisorproducts.com), a Westbury, N.Y., marketing company serving 1,800 advisory firms.