Episode 17: Empathy and Collaboration: Harnessing Level Four Energy for Transformative Leadership

Empathy has the power to transform our relationships, but how often do we truly harness it in our daily interactions? Imagine a world where collaboration takes precedence over competition and where understanding others' needs is as important as achieving our own goals. In this episode we're going to take a journey through the compelling world of level four energy, part of the Energy Leadership Index (ELI), which focuses on empathy, compassion, and collaboration. We explore how this energy level can reshape personal and professional relationships, turning them into realms of mutual success and impactful leadership.

Throughout our discussion, we examine the dynamics of level four energy, revealing its strength in fostering compassion and active listening. Through enlightening anecdotes and real-life scenarios, we demonstrate how a mentality dedicated to service and helping others can lead to healthier, more cohesive teams. Whether it's a leader supporting their team's development or a sibling assisting a family member through life changes, this episode shines a light on how focusing on the greater good can enhance our connections and handle conflicts with care. Discover how organizations and individuals can embody this energy by prioritizing collaboration over competition, ultimately creating a supportive environment that nurtures success.

As we navigate the nuances of maintaining level four energy, we underscore the importance of setting personal boundaries to prevent emotional exhaustion. Learn strategies for shifting into this mindset, which not only rebuilds trust in challenging environments but also enriches communication and relationship-building efforts. We invite you to join us on this empowering journey to becoming mindset warriors—individuals who uplift and empower others without losing themselves in the process. Engage with us in this transformative exploration, and share this episode with those who might benefit from the lessons of positive empathy and understanding.

Transcript

00:00 - Judy (Host)
Level four energy is where true compassion and collaboration really shine. That's one of the prime elements of level four. It's about focusing on others other people's well-being while maintaining a healthy balance for yourself, setting those boundaries and being able to do that. This level of energy builds strong relationships, fosters empathy and creates win-win scenarios in every area of life when we're exercising it well, Welcome to the In your Head podcast with Jodi and Judy, where we're all about helping you get out of your own way. 

00:43
Our focus is on your mindset and helping you remove the mental roadblocks you've created so that you can unleash your potential and get more out of life. Hey there, I'm Jodi and I'm Jodi. Welcome back to our podcast. We are in the middle of a series on the Energy Leadership Index, or ELI for short. Just to give a recap, the ELI provides a powerful tool for understanding how your energy influences your mindset and your behaviors, how you show up in different scenarios. As we've talked about in earlier episodes, energy is at the core of what's happening around us, and our energy levels impact how we perceive and respond to the world. 

01:28 - Jodi (Co-host)
Energy is so powerful. So in our last episode we explored level three energy and, as a reminder, that is about coping and rationalizing everything. It's managing conflict, but you still see the challenges. So there's still an element of judgment with level three. So today we're going to dive into level four energy. So, if you remember, levels two, four and six are more emotional levels of energy. So they're where you're, that's when you're acting from your heart. So level four is one of those emotional levels. It's about connection and service to others. Those emotional levels it's about connection and service to others. So the energy here shifts from more of a self-focus at level three to focusing on others, Like how can we support, how can we serve and uplift those around us? The more you embrace this type of energy, the more powerful your impact as a leader is, or any role that you're in your power will be greater. 

02:23 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, absolutely Jodi. I think it's also important to remember that none of us, when we talk about these different levels of energy and the Energy Leadership Index, no one, stays in one level of energy all the time. So we're human beings and we're emotional people, right, emotional beings, and so we go up and down the ladder of this energy level index all the time. So it might be in level four in one moment, dip down to level two, compact to level four, et cetera. So I think it's just important to remember that we aren't just one static energy. 

02:58 - Jodi (Co-host)
Exactly, yeah, yeah, it really depends on what's going on in your life at the time or on any given day, right, yeah, absolutely. 

03:06 - Judy (Host)
So let's take a deeper look at level four. So level four is really about empathy and service. It's when those elements drive your thoughts and actions. It's when you're emotionally connected, but your focus is on the well-being of others and not on the self. Level four is where collaboration really thrives and compassion becomes a really useful and powerful tool for both personal and professional success. So, while you're emotionally invested at this level, it's not about losing yourself and other people's problems. Rather, it's about using your own emotional energy to uplift and create meaningful connections in both your personal life and at work. How would you really define level four if you had to define it? 

03:55 - Jodi (Co-host)
Well, first of all, I think you and I both operate from level four. 

03:58 - Judy (Host)
Oh, I do, for sure yeah. 

04:00 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, I think it is our primary. So, again, it's about service and helping others. It's where your compassion and empathy dominate. So you see challenges, but your goal is to support and uplift those around you, whether it's work, whether it's home relationships, wherever it is in your life. This is where you move beyond tolerance, which was level three, and into a more active engagement, so you're genuinely invested in the success and wellbeing of those around you. 

04:27
So core thoughts like we always talk about the core thoughts and emotions at every level, the core thoughts at level four is again focus on supporting others. It's creating solutions that benefit everybody. So it's that you win, and if I went to, that's better, that's even better. I want both of us to win, but most importantly, I want you you win, and if I win too, that's better, that's even better. I want both of us to win, but most importantly, I want you to win. It's a mindset of care and emotional investment in the other person's success. The emotions involved are compassion so getting that real, deep emotional connection and care for others. Again, empathy, the true understanding of the experience and feelings of those around you. And gratitude, appreciating your ability to help others and to be of service. 

05:10 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, all of those resonate with me. Yeah, just on a natural way of being. You know, I have a lot of gratitude when I'm able to help other people Totally totally. 

05:20 - Jodi (Co-host)
So what are the actions and results that occur with level four Judy? So what are the actions and results that occur with level four Judy? 

05:25 - Judy (Host)
Well, I think you know the action. Natural action is the ability and the desire to collaborate with others, not just for the sake of progress, but to authentically, genuinely serve and uplift others. The focus is on creating those win-win scenarios we talked about, where everyone benefits. That's in. The thought is how can I help so that we're all getting the benefit here? Right Results? I mean we have healthier, stronger relationships when we're using level four in a healthy way. The two just go hand in hand. A lot we have in the workplace, we have more cohesive teams when people feel supported and there's a strong sense of fulfillment that we receive as individuals when we're helping others succeed. 

06:13 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, yeah. How would you observe this level in others? 

06:16 - Judy (Host)
So I don't know. If someone were to say, how can I help you succeed? Hmm, you know, that would be. That would be an indication to me that they're they're using level four, whether they're doing it purposely or not, or let's work together to make this happen. What's another one? I'm happy I can help. Right, that's a, that's a of service sort of level four energy statement. I'm here for you. What do you need? You know it's funny. I have to tell you a story real quick. This is a personal story. 

07:02
So when my husband now husband when we were dating, we broke up for a little while and then, when he wanted to get back together, when he realized the error of his ways, he wanted to get back together, I had a lot of questions about that. Like, whoa, you were just having a conversation, I was really talking about someone else in my life. That gives me a lot of stress. And he said, instead of jumping on that like he normally would, and that, jerk, blah, blah, blah, you know, and kind of revving me up more, you know what he said? That threw me for a loop. 

07:18
He said how can I best support you right now? That's a level four thought. Right there, right, it's a level four statement. I was silent and I said how did you know to ask me that question? Because his level is not level four. His natural resonating energy is not there. He said I'm getting coached on relationships. Oh, that's funny. So you see how a statement like that level four really does help relationships, and it really meant a lot to me that he was trying hard to change our relationship too. 

07:48 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, you know. Another one is just, I think, acknowledging that you see where someone's coming from, or you understand where they're coming from and you know what. Let's figure it out together. We're stronger when we collaborate, you know. I think that just communicates the genuine care about their success. So, yeah, those are good. So let's talk about characteristics of people and organizations that are experiencing level four energy, and we talked about this last time. You know, people obviously operate in energy levels, but so do organizations. So if we talk about people, the characteristics that you would probably identify are people that are highly empathetic. They're focused on that service of others. They build strong, trusting relationships based on mutual respect and care, listening actively so I think that's a big one is just a person that can really actively listen and respond with compassion. 

08:44 - Judy (Host)
Yep, it's a big one actively listen and respond with compassion. Yep, it's a big one. I think it's also people who are in level four, either naturally or in the circumstance, are less competitive. They're more interested in collaboration over competition. That's me. I can get competitive once in a while, but not too often. I'm a pretty uncompetitive person. 

09:05
But also characteristics are seeking to uplift and empower others, right. And I think for coaches, like, no wonder we're in level four, no wonder we're doing what we're doing? Right, because this is what we seek to do as a profession, also focusing on the greater good, not just what's in it for me, but what's in it for everyone. How can we get those overall solutions to the benefit of everyone? And then here's a big one handling conflicts with care, right. So because you're active listening and you're hearing others' perspectives and you're acknowledging what other people are saying and all those different things that go into level four energy, you are naturally handling conflicts in a very healthy way where everyone feels heard. So you're seeking to resolve challenges in a way that again benefits everyone, right. 

09:53 - Jodi (Co-host)
Right, right. So in organizations, you would see all of these things among people in this type of organization, but also an organization that fosters very open communication, where all staff members feel very supported, they're valued. The company has prioritized their wellbeing and their development. They let you talked about collaboration, like when a company really encourages collaboration and teamwork across all levels. Yeah, those are all good. 

10:20 - Judy (Host)
Level four yeah, I think this is really. It's really for me in my personal experience. I think it's refreshing to think about organizations or departments that run on a culture of level four as a predominant energy level. Right, there's that culture of care, support, mutual respect and that goes so far in building teams and getting stuff done right. It's a really good energy for culture in an environment. I think, yeah, there are also some other drivers and perceptions, if you will, of level four energy. So some of these statements I think could be part of maybe even mission statements for an individual or organization. But some of these statements, that kind of these drivers are, you know, we're all in this together, all for one, I think is is is that the saying all for one for all, all for? 

11:11 - Jodi (Co-host)
one for all, all for one. Yeah, helping others is how we all succeed. 

11:16 - Judy (Host)
And that true success comes from lifting other people up. So these are, these are some, some perceptions of that level four energy. 

11:25 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah. So level four energy sounds amazing and it is amazing. But as with all levels of energy, there are downsides and there are benefits. So to talk about a couple of the downsides, number one is that overextension. So individuals that get so focused on other people, they start neglecting their own needs and they get burned out. Sometimes they get a little bit resentful. That one I can totally relate to, the people pleasing. So when you people please, there's a tendency to prioritize others' needs, sometimes at the expense of your own personal boundaries or self-care. And then when you take on other people's problems, empathy can actually turn into emotional exhaustion if you absorb too much of other people's stress or issues. So those would be real downsides. 

12:13 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, there's another one that I'm thinking of, which is when you talk about organizations. I think it's really healthy to have some good level four in an organizational culture right, level four in an organizational culture right. But too much level four, just like too much of anything, I think, can negatively impact results of an organization. So it's good to have a really healthy dose of it, but to balance it with other really high performing energies, if you will. 

12:39 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, totally so. Talk about what are some of the benefits then. 

12:44 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, we've talked about some of the benefits already. So level four helps us to build those strong relationships that just make life more personal, fulfilling and effective. It helps us form those deep trusting connections with others and fosters the collaboration and mutual respect. We also have this idea of empathy driven leadership right. So leading with compassion can encourage loyalty and engagement from those that you lead. This can really help build that cohesive team, creating win-win solutions. Again, looking at how can we all benefit, what are some solutions here that can benefit everyone as a whole, and this can lead to greater overall success and satisfaction, especially in an organization. I would say and there's also this idea that we can really build emotional resilience using this energy level. So by focusing on supporting others, you're cultivating emotional resilience and purpose, which fuels long-term fulfillment, and it also fuels stamina for bouncing back from challenges. If you practice this enough, you will find that, I think, that you can bounce back from negative situations more effectively. 

13:55 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, those are great benefits, really great benefits, which I think outweigh the more negative aspect of level four. So let's talk about the impact of level four energy in some real life examples and we'll give you some hypotheticals. So I'm going to give you a couple of hypotheticals. First, here I'll give you a work example. This would be a leader who prioritized their team's development and ensures that every person feels heard and supported. This leads to a higher engagement productivity. Hopefully we've all had those kind of leaders that were just so invested in their team and their people. So if you've had somebody like that, that is a good level for energy. Personally, when you have someone who listens real deeply to maybe it's your partner listening to somebody else's concerns, offering support and empathy like legitimate, authentic support and empathy that results in a stronger, more fulfilling relationship. So those are kind of examples of you know how you might see it. 

14:57 - Judy (Host)
And so I know we talked about how can I best support you in a relationship, right, Totally, you know how can I? How? 

15:03 - Jodi (Co-host)
can I best support you in a relationship right? 

15:04 - Judy (Host)
Totally. You know how can I help you right now? The best way, right. 

15:07 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, I love that question. Yeah, so we talked about some real life examples and I know you and I both were throwing them back and forth because this is our energy, so why don't you share one? I know you had a couple of really good examples of some level four. 

15:20 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, well, one is from personal life. Again, I'm getting real personal on this episode, have you noticed? Yeah, but that's okay. So I am currently and have been for a few years now really involved in my brother's life. He lives in Missouri, I live in California. He is intellectually disabled and he also has a lot of physical challenges. He's on 15 different medications, for example, and so I am now his legal guardian because there isn't someone in Missouri in my family that is able to do that and it's all good, but it's involved a lot of work and so he's embarking on a big life transition where he's moving out of my mother's home into a roommate situation in an apartment because she's leaving to go into senior living and he can't go with her. So he's not very excited about this change, although I think he'll love it once he gets there. 

16:10
But all this really means is that you know I'm using that level four energy to support him. 

16:15
But also he's exhibiting a lot of negative emotions right now, as you can imagine, with this big, big life change happening, and so I find that sometimes I'm on the phone with him and we're talking about his plan and he is just really negative and he might become loud and yell, he might become verbally abusive and I'd like to say, most of the time I'm able to exercise that level four by understanding what he's going through, understanding his circumstances and really just being compassionate about what he's going through right now. 

16:50
It's a big deal and using that energy really helps me to calm him down, acknowledge his feelings so that we can move forward. There are other times, jodi, where he will be yelling and nothing I say or do stops him and I will have to say look, you know I'm going to have to hang up now, you know, I'm not going to listen to this anymore and set that boundary. And so I've done that. And there are times where I get triggered, I dip into that level two anger as a reaction to his level two anger, and then we have some harsh words and we hang up the phone and then I feel bad for a while and eventually I put on the level four hat, really firmly, and call him and apologize he usually apologizes as well and then we move forward. So it kind of illustrates what level four that compassion and understanding someone else's perspective, active listening, acknowledging people. 

17:44 - Jodi (Co-host)
What I'm hearing too, judy, is that by dealing with this like you're carrying so much of his stress and his feelings and emotions, like you're feeling those too, and that is I liken that to. My saying has always been you're only as happy as your sad as child, and it doesn't matter how old your kids get. When you have anybody that, whether they're sick or they're struggling with something, as a parent, you carry that and you want to be there to support them and you want to, you know, help them through it. And I do that to an extreme sometimes and I find it eventually gets emotionally exhausting. But it's just who I am, you know, and it's the same as like we were talking about Thanksgiving, like I love entertain, I love to host people, I love to do all the work, but again, it's exhausting and in the end I can overdo and end up being resentful because I did it all and I brought it on myself. But I do it out of love and care and wanting to help people and do something for them. 

18:46 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, yeah, I mean what you said earlier too, when we were talking before this episode about deciding to pull back on that. Setting those boundaries is an example of working with level four energy in a healthy way. 

18:59 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, yeah. I think that's one of the key things with level four is you have to realize there are boundaries, because if you give and you give and you give, it's not good for anybody, and so it's very wise to be able to give, but a lot of work situations, you know, a client who had to dip into level four. 

19:27 - Judy (Host)
I don't really think she was realized she was doing it at the time, but but to to succeed in her work, you know, working on a team that was really dysfunctional and and where trust had been eroded, she had to spend a lot of time rebuilding those relationships, practicing that active listening, acknowledging people's feelings about things that happened in the past, really spending that face time, you know, really understanding their perspectives, before she could then even do her job Right. So sometimes we can use that in a crisis situation as well. 

19:59 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, so what are some ways to shift? Because we talk about shifting and if you identify where you are, then learning how to shift to this energy or shift to something higher, even, and then really just harnessing that. Yeah, well, for shifting. 

20:15 - Judy (Host)
We can practice cultivating that empathy right. So practice active listening, so really hearing people, not thinking about what you have to buy at the grocery store. It's normal for our brains to kind of come and go into you know the moment, the present moment, but really it's trying to stay in the present moment with someone when they're talking and striving to understand their perspective without judging them Right. So asking a lot of questions to increase your understanding of what their perspective is about a situation, so you can practice with those things. You can also again focus on service, looking for ways to genuinely help other people, whether it's in small everyday actions or larger contributions. 

20:58
The other day this has happened two or three, I guess twice. I don't want to embellish Twice. This has happened to me where I've been at this one Starbucks drive-thru and the person in front of me pays for my order. Oh, nice, yeah, which is like pay it forward, right. So that's just a small example of paying it forward. So this last time it happened, I said, okay, I'm going to pay for the person behind me and they're like well, they're buying $30 worth. And then I kind of felt like okay maybe not. 

21:27 - Jodi (Co-host)
Am I really going to be? I did it. 

21:29 - Judy (Host)
Oh, you did, I did. I was like well, you know what, put your you know money where your mouth is. So yeah that was very nice. What are ways that we can harness or work with level four energy in a healthy way? What do you think? 

21:44 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah Well, I think I mentioned this earlier. When you're serving others, you have to ensure that you maintain your own wellbeing, so you have to set those clear boundaries, you know. I think that's one of the best ways to work with it. So another thing is just to maintain balance by caring for yourself. So you're caring for others, make sure you're taking care of yourself, ensuring that you don. 

22:09 - Judy (Host)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely so. Let's talk about key takeaways from this episode, shall we? Yeah, so level four energy is where true compassion and collaboration really shine. We talked about that all the way through this episode. That's one of the prime elements of level four. It's about focusing on others other people's well-being, while maintaining a healthy balance for yourself, setting those boundaries and being able to do that. This level of energy builds strong relationships, fosters empathy and creates win-win scenarios in every area of life. When we're exercising it well, as you reflect on your own energy levels, I would encourage you to just ask yourself where can I bring more compassion and empathy into my relationships and leadership as an action item? 

23:02 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah Well, and take a moment to consider, like, how can you show up for others today? So, whether it's a colleague, a friend, a family member, just always looking for those opportunities to offer support or compassion, just doing something little or nice, you know, for them. So we'd love to hear your thoughts on level four, energy. We have a Facebook page that many people have visited and sent us little personal notes and we would love for you to share your thoughts on this on our Facebook page. It's in your head with Jodi and Judy, so reach out if you have questions. If some of this doesn't make sense or you had a big aha moment, we'd love to hear that. 

23:39 - Judy (Host)
So if you want to take the Energy Leadership Index to find out more about your natural tendencies with these energy levels. We invite you to do that. You can find more information on our Facebook page. Reach out to us that way. We'd be happy to help you with that page. Reach out to us that way. We'd be happy to help you with that. So up next for our next episode. As we continue this series, we're going to explore level five energy, naturally. So at this level, it's all about creativity, innovation and opportunity. It's a really cool level of energy, so stay tuned to learn how this shift can help you transform challenges into opportunities for growth. 

24:17 - Jodi (Co-host)
When we talk about the next level of energy, yeah, level five is also a very natural one for both of us and it's a lot of fun. So in the meantime, thank you for listening. Everybody, stay positive and we'll talk to you in the next time around. Bye for now. Thanks for listening to In your Head. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone you think may benefit. Give us a like or a positive review and subscribe to follow us. 

24:44 - Judy (Host)
We hope you continue to tune in and join us as a loyal mindset warrior. 

25:00 - Jodi (Co-host)
In your Head with Jodi and Judy is not an official partner or affiliate of Positive Intelligence or PQ Coach. Positive Intelligence and PQ Coach are trademarks of Positive Intelligence LLC, and Positive Intelligence LLC does not endorse In your Head with Jodi and Judy in any way.