Investing In Yourself (my preliminary take on The Energy Project)

Take Back Your Lunch - The Energy Project. This link came across my desk earlier this week and caught my eye. As you think about the impact of a movement like this, several managerial catch phrases may come to mind like...work-life balance, quality of life, respect for the individual, being a "working mom", or being a "family man". Do you believe in these? Do you live your life by these? Most importantly, do your actions reflect a commitment to these principles and what this movement seems to be about?

Energy or more specifically, engagement - the combination of energy and contribution, is a topic that seems to be increasing in popularity these days. It might be the most important impact you have as a leader, to get and keep people engaged. Achieving that is much easier said than done. Taking back your lunch, one day at a time sounds like a good place to start.

The bigger message, in my opinion, is to invest in yourself. Investing in yourself is critical. If you don't, why should anyone else? Investing in yourself and your own personal interests is within your control and the best way to increase your opportunity for engagement (assuming you maintain some relative amount of work-related interest).

Admittedly, I am just learning about The Energy Project this week, so we'll see where all this goes. I think I will take 15 minutes to learn a little more from the website and maybe even buy the book. Afterall, I need to invest in myself, right? Will you?