Episode 18: Embracing Level 5 Energy. Turn Challenges Into Opportunities for Growth.

Can challenges really be the stepping stones to innovation and success? Join us,  Jodi and Judy, as we unlock the transformative potential of Level 5 energy from the Energy Leadership Index. This episode is your guide to harnessing a mindset that doesn't just tackle obstacles but turns them into opportunities for growth and collaboration. We dive into the core thoughts, emotions, and actions that define Level 5 energy, highlighting its power to cultivate a culture of creativity and resilience both personally and professionally. Organizations embracing this level foster environments where growth is the norm and competition becomes a catalyst for development, not a threat.

Ready to take your leadership to new heights? Discover practical strategies to harness Level 5 energy, focusing on creative thinking, reframing setbacks, and fostering collaboration. Learn how the simple question, "What's the opportunity here?" can unlock doors to innovation and co-creation. We introduce engaging techniques such as the "yes and" game, which encourages idea-building within teams and families. Stay curious, explore new perspectives, and remember, this isn’t about forced positivity—it’s about genuinely seeking possibilities for growth. Plus, get a sneak peek into our upcoming discussion on Level 6 energy, where intuition and connection to a larger purpose take center stage. Listen and transform how you approach life's challenges!

Transcript

00:00 - Judy (Co-host)
companies with level five energy or teams foster a culture of growth and innovation. They might promote creative problem solving. Managers at this level might reward risk-taking and learning from things that don't go well, from failures. They encourage cross-functional collaboration. There's that word again collaboration. It's all about that and that co-creation creating things together and organizations really see competition as a way to grow rather than as a threat. 

00:39 - Judy (Co-host)
Welcome to the In your Head podcast with Jodi and Judy, where we're all about helping you get out of your own way. 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. 

00:54 - Judy (Co-host)
Welcome back to In your Head with Jodi and Judy. We're so glad you're here for Episode 5, where we continue our deep dive into the Energy Leadership Index. 

01:04 - Jodi (Co-host)
That's right. Our deep dive into the Energy Leadership Index? That's right. The Energy Leadership Index, or ELI as we always refer to it, helps us understand how our energy influences the way we think, how we behave and how we respond in different situations. So in our last episode, we explored Level 4 Energy, which is an emotional energy, and it's focused on service, compassion and collaboration. 

01:27 - Judy (Co-host)
Yes, and today we're shifting gears to explore level five energy. Level five is really cool. It's where creativity, innovation and a win-win mindset takes center stage. It's all about seeing opportunities in every challenge and believing that there's enough success to go around for everyone. 

01:46 - Jodi (Co-host)
And just a reminder. We've mentioned this before, but no one stays in one energy level all the time, so we're constantly shifting throughout the day, and that's perfectly normal. The key is to recognize where you are and then use that awareness to move to the energy level that would better serve you or those around you. 

02:09 - Judy (Co-host)
That's right, and today we're going to explore what makes Level 5 so transformative and how you can use it to create powerful shifts in your life and leadership. 

02:14 - Jodi (Co-host)
So let's talk about what is Level 5 energy? So, at its core, it is about opportunity and innovation. It's a mindset that sees challenges not as roadblocks but stepping stones towards your growth and your success. 

02:30 - Judy (Co-host)
Exactly. Level five is where collaboration becomes truly synergistic. You're no longer just helping others, you're co-creating solutions that lead to benefit for everyone. Mutual benefit is we all win kind of mentality. 

02:46 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, this is my favorite energy level and I wish I could just be in this energy level all the time. 

02:53
So let's break it down. We always talk about three different aspects of an energy level the core thoughts, the core emotions and the actions and results. So for level five, your core thought is there's opportunity in everything. If we work together, we're all going to win. The core emotion would be confidence, excitement, maybe curiosity, and then the actions and results. People with level five energy they seek creative solutions. So they're taking calculated risks often and they foster innovation. They're really focused on long-term success and shared outcomes. 

03:30 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah, so here's the thing. Level five energy is powerful because it really opens the door to creativity and possibility. When we operate here, we often see setbacks as temporary or even beneficial, because they really help us learn and grow. 

03:47 - Jodi (Co-host)
So let's talk about what level five energy sounds like. We always like to present kind of some phrases that you might want to listen for or that indicate that somebody's in a level five or even that you're in a level five. So one would be how can we turn this challenge into an opportunity? There's a solution here. We just need to find it. What else, judy? How? 

04:07 - Judy (Co-host)
about let's try this new approach. It could lead to something wonderful. Or I see how this benefits everyone involved. I hear people saying that, or if you hear we can make this work, it'll be even better than we imagined. So people who are very inspired when in level five energy to create something new and to move past, step backs Right, those are good ones, yeah. And people again in level five energy they embrace that possibility and they encourage others to think outside the box too. They're leaning into this energy as collaborators and innovators. So when you've been in that space, as we're going to talk about, that's what you're in, that tapping into that level five energy. And so we often talk about energy through the lens of your personal life and work life. So who are the people in organizations that embody level five? 

04:59 - Jodi (Co-host)
energy. Well, to start with the individuals or the people with level five energy, they typically are highly creative, have a very open minded and resilient approach to life. They see those challenges as opportunities and encourage innovation and collaboration among all of those around them. Around them, they embrace calculated risks for long-term growth and long-term gain and they build win-win relationships that benefit everybody that's involved. Yeah, how about the organization? 

05:34 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah. So companies with level five energy or teams foster a culture of growth and innovation. They might promote creative problem solving. Managers at this level might reward risk-taking and learning from things that don't go well, from failures. They encourage cross-functional collaboration. There's that word again collaboration. It's all about that and that co-creation, creating things together. And organizations really see competition as a way to grow rather than as a threat. At this level, how can we use the competitor, what they're doing, as a way to, you know, repel what we're doing? Right, that's a level five energy for an organization. 

06:16 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, that's great. Really, the driving belief is just there's always a way to succeed and we can find it together. Yeah, so like every energy level level five has its upsides and potential downsides. So let's start with what are some of the upsides, some of the benefits, of a level five energy? 

06:37 - Judy (Co-host)
Judy, you want to share those? Yeah, so I was going to say it's very similar to what we've been talking about. It's that creativity and innovation People here at this level really excel at generating new ideas and solutions. There's that optimism, there's this belief in opportunities, that they feel confidence and resilience and that we can do more out of a setback right, we can accomplish more, we can turn this around. And then there's again the collaboration Level five. Energy thrives on that co-creation, leading to better outcomes for everyone. 

07:08 - Jodi (Co-host)
So it's clear we have a lot of benefits at this level, right, yeah, yeah, great benefits, and of course, I think the benefits weigh out the downsides. But potential downsides might be, you know, when we get overly optimistic, we start seeing all these possibilities and get so excited and we could potentially overlook the risks, like the real risks and or the practical challenges that we need to deal with Very easy to overlook that. Also, I think there can be frustration with others, because just because we're ready to see an opportunity in a challenge doesn't mean somebody else is ready, and they may just not be at that level of enthusiasm that we're at, or they may not have the same vision, and that can sometimes create friction. And then there's always a risk of being spread too thin, because when you start seeing so many ideas and opportunities, getting focused on, one of those can become a challenge. 

08:01 - Judy (Co-host)
That one happens to me a lot you know, when I'm excited about my work, excited about what to bring to clients and you know how to help others and what to focus, I just lose focus because there's so many things I want to do Totally. 

08:19 - Jodi (Co-host)
Oh, all the time I live in that one, I'm always looking at like look at all this opportunity out there, all the things I want to do. 

08:30 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah, have to narrow down and focus in on the high level things. But yeah, I will say too. 

08:32 - Jodi (Co-host)
I do struggle with the, the one downside of the frustration with others, because I do tend to. I think I have somewhat trained myself to. I deal with whatever the challenge is emotionally, mentally. I think about it, but I move myself very quickly to like okay, so what's the, what's the opportunity here? And not everybody can do that, nor should they. It's just I've had to train myself to be that way, and so I do find myself sometimes I get frustrated. It's like come on, this isn't a bad thing. Like look what we can do, you know. And it gets a little frustrating. 

09:03 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah, I do see that in you and it's also our positive. Intelligence training is coming into play. You know we talked about that in earlier episodes and really being able to shift from the negativity to the opportunity is huge in life. 

09:18 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah. So, Judy, let's bring this to life with some examples. 

09:22 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah let's do it. So let's talk about a work example. So it might be, if you can imagine a leader who's been told she has to take a major budget cut. She has to work that into her plan for the following year, so you can imagine the upset this would cause. But instead of panicking, this person sees it as an opportunity to grow her team in the form of streamlining processes, getting innovative and building stronger partnerships, in order that she can make that budget cut and come out with a more agile, efficient team at the same time. What about a personal life example? 

10:01 - Jodi (Co-host)
Personal life. Well, think of someone who might be navigating a really tough relationship challenge. They choose to view the conflict as more of a chance to deepen their understanding and grow together, which would ultimately lead to a stronger bond. Yeah, versus, you know this is a problem. We aren't gonna overcome it and just walking away from it. And then we've talked about this example because both of us love Ted Lasso. It's such a funny, it's a sweet TV show about the American soccer coach who is coaching British football, which is soccer, and Ted is. He constantly is reframing every challenge as a growth opportunity for his team. So he focuses on building those relationships, empowering individuals and creating a positive team culture. And he bounces back from those big challenges in such an extreme way and exudes optimism, collaboration, a belief in the potential of others, even during setbacks. 

10:56 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah, especially during the setbacks, he's like this ray of positivity sunshine that's over the top right, which makes the show really funny. It's also very sweet show, very inspirational. I think there's always a lesson at the end, but if anyone hasn't seen it, it's plenty of that. 

11:12 - Jodi (Co-host)
So, yeah, so I think those examples show how a level five mindset can really turn obstacles into catalysts for growth and for opportunity, I agree. 

11:28 - Judy (Co-host)
What are some examples, jodi, where you might've experienced level five energy? I'm going to put you on the spot. 

11:34 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, you told me you were going to do this and I've been trying to think of something. Yeah, so you know what my most recent one? This and I've been trying to think of something. Yeah, so you know what my most recent one and I've shared a little bit with you about, kind of my love for tradition. I love holidays. I just have had, you know, I raised my daughters and now I have grandkids and we've been very fortunate. Our traditions have remained, that our traditions have remained. 

11:59
And all of a sudden, this year we're facing a little bit more of a challenge in that we have in-laws involved, which is wonderful, but we have a little distance between us and timing. With little tiny kids, it just it's not going to be the same. It just isn't. And when I realized that, my emotions got like, oh my God, I'm just not ready to let go of that. 

12:22
But I was quick to shift into like okay, so what are other possibilities with this year? What are we going to do that could be different and new and exciting and a new fun tradition that we can start? So we really, you know, we really kind of have collaborated and talked about like for each family, like what is going to work and we've come up with some fun things to do outside of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to kind of make up for, maybe time that we're going to have to give up, and I'm really excited about it now. I'm really excited, just, and I and I also realized that it might be different next year. Yeah, but it took me to, you know, looking back on some things in the past that I was dreading, and all of a sudden it's like no, that was a great change. That helped me kind of move forward a little bit with that. 

13:10
Oh that surprised me and accept it as an opportunity. Yeah, is that an example? 

13:15 - Judy (Co-host)
Oh, my God, I'm not surprised you have such a great example and I want to hear about those new traditions, your things that you're doing. You can tell me later I might have to adopt some. Yeah, so let's talk about bringing level five into life, really tapping into it with some strategies, life really tapping into it with some strategies. One thing would be to really practice creative thinking. So what do we mean by that? You could start off by asking yourself what's the opportunity here when you're faced with a challenge Again, we know it can be difficult to do that when you're, you know you have all these negative thoughts about what's happening, which is natural. But really, again, going back to positive intelligence and giving yourself space to clear those negative thoughts and then and then asking yourself the question you know, what's, what's the opportunity here? Just practicing that can raise your awareness and help you to see opportunities more clearly. 

14:10
And there's also the idea of that embracing, that collaboration which you shared in your story, which I love what's going on in your life, bringing your kids into that mode of what can we do here and working out together. So, again, looking for ways to do those things, looking for ways to co-create solutions with others. There's a yes and game that we introduced in a prior episode, where we're talking about positive intelligence and innovation. You can use this in families, you can use it in work teams, but really just leaning into yes, that's a great idea. And here's another one right and just brainstorming and building onto ideas can be a tool that you can use to bring in more collaboration as well. What are some others do you think? 

14:48 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, well, it's that reframing as I mentioned with the TED Lasso, it's like being able to reframe, kind of those setbacks and viewing them as learning experiences. So even if you're not viewing it as a great thing, the goodness of it can be that I'm learning something from this and it's actually going to pave the way for future success. But one example of like reframing setbacks we've shared the stallion story, where the man had his horse stolen and then something else happened and then something else happened and everybody's looking at everything that happened to him as these bad things and he was reframing them in his mind like you can't judge if this is good or bad, and each one of those things actually ended up creating a new possibility for him or a new opportunity. So another one is just staying curious, so adopting a mindset of curiosity and just exploring what new ideas or perspectives might I have. How do I want this to turn out Like? What are the possibilities for making that happen? 

15:48 - Judy (Co-host)
Yeah, yeah, those are good ones and you know, it's a good reminder that this is not about forcing positivity in one's life. It's about genuinely looking for what's possible and then building on it. Right yeah picture and creating opportunities that benefit everyone involved. It's where innovation and collaboration shine, and it's a powerful space to operate from both a personal and professional perspective. 

16:22 - Jodi (Co-host)
Right and in order to start growing your ability to shift really as you go through your day, think about ways you can embrace level five energy. So what challenges are you going to encounter today that you might be able to turn into an opportunity? Where can you collaborate to create something that would be greater than you could have created on your own? And for inspiration and confirmation that opportunities are all around us? Think about situations in your past where challenges were turned into opportunities, like what happened. How did that? 

16:54 - Judy (Co-host)
happen. That's great. I love the idea of just sitting down with a piece of paper or a computer screen and really just reflecting, as a way to kind of jumpstart that awareness. Right, so don't forget, in our next episode we're going to move along, we're going to dive into level six, energy. This is where intuition and connection to a bigger purpose really come into play, and you won't want to miss this one. 

17:16 - Jodi (Co-host)
Yeah, Level six is a challenge. It'll be interesting to talk about it because I love the whole concept of intuition and being able to connect to something bigger. But it's not easily done. It's fun to talk about, but it definitely takes a whole different mindset, absolutely. 

17:33 - Judy (Co-host)
We're getting into the higher levels, where things are a little more esoteric and a little harder to reach on a regular basis, but still really cool to think about and be able to tap into. 

17:42 - Jodi (Co-host)
Right. So for now, thank you for listening to In your Head with Jodi and Judy. Be sure to share your thoughts and questions on level five energy or any of the other energy levels we've discussed, or other topics, with us on our Facebook page and we'll see you next time. 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. 

18:11 - Judy (Co-host)
We hope you continue to tune in and join us as a loyal mindset warrior.