Relational Energy
Encounters That Truly Recharge Us
Sometimes you don't need an agenda. Just a conversation, and you walk out feeling more energized than when you walked in. That's exactly how it was last week with Justine Carl, who accompanied me as a coach when I started my business eleven years ago.
A lot of time had passed since our last face-to-face meeting, back before the pandemic. Our virtual coffee date was therefore long overdue.
Thoughts flowed, ideas bounced back and forth. We laughed, listened, were connected and present, without any agenda.
And that's exactly what created a space full of energy.
It felt light and deep at the same time.
Almost as if small seeds had found new soil in both of us.
When we said goodbye, I felt that my inner battery was fuller.
Simply through this conversation.
Kim Cameron and Wayne Baker call this phenomenon relational energy: the tangible energy that arises in encounters and leaves us feeling more vital than before.
Research indicates that this energy enhances well-being, creativity, collaboration, and performance. Individuals who spread this energy are often regarded as high achievers, not because of their position, but because of their impact.
Psychologist Jane Dutton refers to this as high-quality connections: brief encounters that make us more vibrant, resilient, and creative.
They are the result of genuine attention, honest interest, and mutual appreciation—often within seconds.
But today, we don't take enough time for those seconds.
Full calendars, tightly scheduled days, efficiency as the benchmark. Unintentional exchanges often fall by the wayside. Ironically, these are the things that matter most to us.
Yet it is precisely these encounters that are so valuable to organizations. They remind us why we enjoy working with others. They shape culture because they create closeness and trust. They allow us and our ideas to flourish. And they create bonds between us—to teams, organizations, and people. Because we instinctively seek out places where we can recharge our batteries.
✨ Three small ideas for everyday life:
• Consciously plan space for encounters without an agenda: a coffee date, a short pause for personal exchange, a spontaneous phone call.
• Be fully present in these moments, without multitasking.
• Reflect afterwards: What energy was created? What resonates within you?
I hope for more moments like these for myself and for us all. In virtual space and in real life.
Some encounters are sources of energy. And with this energy, I find it easier to get through everyday life.
✨ When was the last time you had an encounter that really energized you?
And what was special about it?
