My clients know what I mean by a ‘chocolate moment’: the time everyone should spend doing something good for themselves. Chocolate moments are important for the preparation of a coaching interview, as an awareness exercise in resilience training – but also for successful employee discussions in companies.
Gaining additional energy with ‘chocolate moments’
When I ask the question “what gives you energy?”, it quite often turns out to be the first time that an astonishing number of people actually deal with that topic and other issues like: What builds up my energy, what breaks it down? How many times a day do I get the chance to recharge my batteries? Am I aware of the appointments or meetings that tend to drain my energy? How do I ensure that I have enough energy to be able to walk upright at the end of energy-consuming conversations or activities?
What charges the energy stores?
Knowing what’s good for you is generally important. It is often the small details that can be easily incorporated into a normal working day. Is it fresh air? Then you can easily think about moving an appointment to another building so that you have to take a short walk to get there. Is it music? Then you can put your headphones on and listen to your favourite playlist during more routine work. Or is it really a piece of chocolate? This pleasure should then be celebrated in order to achieve the desired effect.
But sometimes it’s completely different things that make us recharge our batteries. Good conversations with colleagues. A successfully presented pitch. A smile. It is important that we are aware of what is good for us. Only in this way can we actively ensure that our energy level is always where we would like it to be.
Recognize and consciously use energy boosters
If managers are aware that everyone has an energy booster, this can be incorporated into employee appraisals. This can change the course of a development discussion. Energy boosters are not so much about true talent as about activities that an employee simply enjoys doing – whether perfect or not. In every company there are activities in which the joy of implementation counts more than perfection. These times can be deliberately reserved for ‘chocolate moments’. Perhaps the CFO might enjoy making a proposal for a wall design. Or the marketing manager can suggest meals for the canteen. Or the production manager might be enthusiastic about designing a new training program for the management team.
Mind you, this is not about permanently changing something in the relevant areas of responsibility. The aim of the ‘chocolate moments’ is to offer short-term energy boosters – based on what gives the respective employees energy. You can put these moments at the service of the company. Would you like creative mental support? I can get on it right away!
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