Leadership Isn’t a Title — It’s an Energy
Some people have titles.
Others have energy.
Guess who really leads?
When we picture power in organizations, we often imagine hierarchies — the boxes and lines of an org chart, where authority flows downward. But ask anyone who’s worked inside a real organization, and they’ll tell you: the people who make things move aren’t always the ones with the biggest titles.
There’s a quieter kind of power — the kind that doesn’t demand attention, yet leaves everyone a little lighter, more confident, and more capable. It’s what organizational psychologist Kim S. Cameron from the University of Michigan calls positive relational energy — and it may be the most underestimated source of performance in the modern workplace.
Two Kinds of Power
In every organization, there are two kinds of power:
1 Positional power — granted by hierarchy, role, or title.
2 Personal power — earned through trust, credibility, and positive impact.
Positional power is borrowed. It depends on authority, systems, and reporting lines. Once the title disappears, so does the leverage.
Personal power is built. It comes from integrity, competence, and character — and it endures through relationships and reputation.
Titles can open doors.
But energy moves people.
What the Research Shows
Kim Cameron and his colleagues at the Center for Positive Organizations wanted to understand what really fuels performance inside companies.
Instead of mapping formal hierarchies or information flows, they mapped something far less visible: energy networks.
They asked employees a simple but profound question:
“When you interact with this person, how does it affect your energy?”
The results were remarkable.
Those who positively energize others are higher performers.
Individuals who uplift and energize others consistently outperform their peers in effectiveness, creativity, and resilience.Energy predicts performance better than influence or information.
A person’s position in the energy network is four times more predictive of performance than their position in the influence or information networks.Positive energizers elevate others.
People connected to energizers also perform better — their effect multiplies across teams.High-performing organizations have more energizers.
Top-performing organizations have three times more positive energizers than low-performing ones.
In short:
The real engine of organizational success isn’t authority or hierarchy — it’s the invisible network of relationships that give energy to others.
Virtuousness Produces Positive Energy
Cameron’s follow-up research, involving more than 600 individuals, revealed something even more interesting:
Virtuousness — not personality or charisma — is what produces positive energy.
Positive energizers are not necessarily extroverts or optimists.
They are people whose daily behaviors reflect trust, integrity, gratitude, and compassion.
Here’s what Cameron found distinguishes energizers from de-energizers:
Positive Energizers:
They don’t just perform well — they help others flourish. They:
Help others grow without expecting payback.
Solve problems rather than create them.
See opportunities instead of obstacles.
Clarify meaning and inspire purpose.
Express gratitude and humility.
Instill confidence and trust.
Listen actively and empathetically.
Share recognition and celebrate others.
Are authentic, genuine, and forgiving.
Smile often — radiating warmth and approachability.
De-Energizers:
Often unintentionally, they drain vitality from the system. They:
Take credit instead of sharing it.
Focus on roadblocks and criticism.
Show indifference or cynicism.
Hoard recognition and resources.
Rarely smile or express appreciation.
Induce guilt, fear, or shame.
Dominate conversations or ignore others’ input.
The difference lies not in intelligence or personality — but in how people make others feel.
Virtuous behavior, Cameron argues, is not “soft” or sentimental — it’s energizing.
His studies show that organizations rich in positive energizers experience higher engagement, stronger collaboration, and greater innovation.
The Science of Positive Leadership
Cameron’s book, Practicing Positive Leadership: Tools and Techniques That Create Extraordinary Results (2012), translates these findings into actionable leadership behaviors.
He identifies five interdependent practices that create thriving, energy-rich systems:
Create a Positive Climate
Foster emotions like gratitude, compassion, and hope. These broaden thinking, build resilience, and increase creativity.Build Positive Relationships
Prioritize high-quality connections and recognize the energizers in your organization. They are your culture’s real infrastructure.Communicate Positive Meaning
Help people see the purpose in their work. Meaning transforms effort into commitment.Use Positive Communication
Research shows high-performing teams maintain a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative interactions. Encouragement and appreciation sustain trust and collaboration.Enable Positive Energy Networks
Connect energizers, model virtuous behaviors, and coach those who drain energy to become more aware of their impact.
When these practices are embedded into leadership and culture, they create what Cameron calls “upward spirals” — systems where people and performance flourish together.
Why Positive Energy Is Strategic, Not Soft
Traditional management often focuses on fixing problems and enforcing compliance. Positive Leadership takes the opposite approach: it amplifies what works.
Cameron’s data prove that this isn’t idealism — it’s effectiveness.
Organizations that cultivate positive energy networks consistently outperform those that rely solely on control or competition.
They show:
Higher productivity and profitability
Lower turnover and burnout
Faster innovation
Stronger resilience in crisis
Why? Because energy fuels everything else — creativity, trust, learning, and adaptability.
As Cameron writes:
“Virtuousness in organizations is not naïve idealism — it is the most pragmatic route to extraordinary results.”
What Real Leadership Looks Like
Real leadership isn’t about the power you hold.
It’s about the energy you generate.
When people leave a meeting with you, do they feel more capable or more constrained?
When you lead a team through change, do they feel drained or inspired?
Those moments define leadership more than any title ever could.
The best leaders don’t remind others who they are.
Their energy does it for them.
Final Reflection
The future of leadership will be defined less by position and more by relational energy — the ability to create trust, vitality, and meaning through connection.
Positive energizers are the quiet architects of thriving systems.
They prove that virtue is contagious, and that performance grows best in cultures where people leave every interaction feeling just a bit stronger than before.
So the real question isn’t “What’s your title?”
It’s “What kind of energy do you leave behind?”
Titles grant authority.
Energy creates impact.
References
Cameron, K. S. (2012). Practicing Positive Leadership: Tools and Techniques That Create Extraordinary Results. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Cross, R., Baker, W., & Parker, A. (2003). What Creates Energy in Organizations? MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(4), 51–56.
Cameron, K. S., & Spreitzer, G. (Eds.). (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford University Press.
Cameron, K. S. (2008). Positive Leadership: Strategies for Extraordinary Performance. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.