The ability to mobilize and implement requires energy. Energy is defined here as a sense of opportunistic optimism married to a sense of urgency. If we look at the history of some of the world’s corporate giants—those who have weathered all types of challenges and adversity—we see a commonality shared by all great managers and leaders: With an eye to economic cycles and market indicators, smart managers seize the moment and act with surety.

Great leaders also realize that they cannot make change happen alone. To drive an organization, leaders must create a “why not” versus a defensive “why” culture. They must be open to new ideas and resistant to bureaucracy.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ron Johnson when he was vice president and general manager for Target’s Home Décor. Ron considered Target to have a “why-not” culture. When new ideas were suggested under his watch, he answered, “Why not?” Says Johnson.

Johnson believed strongly that, “The key merchandise trend for the next decade will be design. So my team identified a person that we thought was one of the foremost architects and product designers of the twentieth century --- Michael Grave. My team said, ‘We need someone who can provide great design at a value that we can market.’ So in order to accomplish that, we had to make a major, up-front commitment to Michael for something that was unproven in the market. Will it work? Will people really want to move into this standard? After all, we knew this was Target. This wasn’t Bloomingdale’s. We went forward and signed the agreement to launch over 250 products in the stores. It set an example of Target’s ability to have an idea and go for it.”

For organizations to survive, they need this type of “why not” attitude—the energy and optimism to find opportunities everywhere, in both the good and the bad, and the flexibility and fearlessness to take advantage of the out-of-the-box thoughts of those who work with you and for you.

Another factor in the energy piece of the dynamic leadership matrix is the management process that relates to rewards. We can generally assume that all people will work for the corporate or organizational good, and in some cultures the group is more important than the individual. But, the group still wants to be rewarded. The effect of rewards cannot be ignored. Rewarding people for a job well done with a reward that is meaningful is the lifeblood of any organization. “Meaningful” is a key word in this sentence. Employees are motivated to put forth their best effort when they value the reward. So, it’s important to get into the shoes of the receiver of the rewards and find out culturally, individually, communally and fiscally which rewards a person or group will appreciate and value.

Recently, James Smith, a manager at Departmente de Formadoras, Formax, in Illinois, sent me the following story:

When it comes to recognition, non-monetary rewards are quite effective. I currently have 45 highly skilled, well-paid technicians working directly in my service department. Several years ago I implemented a customer satisfaction survey which I sent to the customer following every service visit. The purpose is to evaluate the performance of the technician and measure the satisfaction of the customer.

You can imagine the reaction of these technical people when it was announced we would begin this program. Overall, they did not like the idea that big brother would ask the customer to fill out a survey and return it to us. The decision to proceed was, however, a democratic one. We proceeded, and for every returned survey that we received back, the results were tabulated and proper scoring was kept in order to monitor satisfaction levels. The overwhelming majority of the surveys were being returned with excellent reviews and comments. Occasionally, surveys would arrive back with less than favorable results and comments. These were used to fine-tune our technical services and improve.

As time went on I began to see that a number of the surveys were being returned for the technicians that showed perfect scores. A number of technicians received repeated perfect scores. I thought that some form of recognition for these perfect scores was appropriate. In order to recognize these outstanding performers, small quality gift rings were purchased. Etched into the key ring were the words, “In recognition of outstanding service performance,” along with the company logo. During our regular monthly meetings, all technicians who received perfect scores on two or more satisfaction surveys over a six-month period were brought up before their peers, thanked for their performance, and handed the gift. In addition, all the individuals from this group were added to a drawing for a gift certificate to a fine dining local restaurant.

I would like to say that this was a magical moment and that every technician improved his or her performance. You always get some complainers. And, in light of all the jabbing and joking around that these technicians received from their peers about receiving the rewards, it appeared that perhaps this form of recognition in front of peers may have been the wrong way to go about it and may not be making much of a difference. The general perception was that the technicians viewed this as silly.

The month of May should have been the fifth time that recognition awards would have been handed out. Being unable to attend this meeting, one of my supervisors stood in for me. Not considering these recognition award ceremonies as being anything looked forward to, I had not taken the time to prepare the awards and decided to put it off until the June or July meeting. Surprisingly, during the May meeting, a number of technicians inquired where the recognition awards were.

It became apparent that although the appearance is that recognition may be unfruitful, the truth of the matter is that deep inside the rough exterior of most people is the desire to be appreciated and recognized for a job well done. While it may not show on the outside, the satisfaction felt on the inside can’t be achieved totally through only monetary reward. Public recognition in front of one’s peers, no mater how embarrassed a person may appear, is an excellent tool to motivate, not demotivate.

Smith is a good example of a dynamic leader who was open to feedback. His “of the people” accessibility and willingness to do something different gave each individual on his team the feeling that they, too, were dynamic leaders in their own work, performers worthy of recognition.

While this kind of energy is something that can be taught, it’s easier if it comes naturally in the person. But, when people enjoy what they do, energy tends to thrive. When they don’t, even if it is part of their nature, it’s difficult to act energetic.

• Do you bring out the energy in your people? Consider these questions:
• Do you have a “why” or “why not” culture? Are you open to new ideas, different ways of doing things?
• Once a week, ask your team to examine every corporate habit or process within your area of responsibility. Is there a more efficient, effective way to do things?
• Do you consider yourself energetic? Do others?
• When things get tough at home or at work, do you see the glass as half empty or half full?
• Do you reward people for innovation and quick decision-making? How?

Larraine Segil is the author of Dynamic Leader, Adaptive Organization, Ten Essential Traits for Managers, Partnering - the New Face of Leadership, Fast Alliances, Intellegent Business Alliances, and, Alliance Metrics.