Energy is Leadership Too

How the energy you bring into every room shapes the leaders, the officers and the community around you.

By Sheronda D. Grant  |  We Are Strong Enough

How many of us actually pay attention to the energy we bring while in the presence of our staff?

Not many. So, let’s talk about energy.

Not the motivational poster kind of energy. The real kind. The kind that each leader possesses. The kind you walk into a room with. The energy you bring to the table before you say a single word to the members on your team.

Energy can be positive, neutral or negative. Ask yourself, what type of energy are you known for? What type of energy is associated with your name?

Here’s what I’ve learned after 24 years in this profession: your people feel you before they hear you.

They read your body language before you make a sound. They look at your face and they know what type of mood you’re in. And believe it or not, your mood can transfer on to them.

What type of energy are you giving your members during shift briefings?

As a sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and even as an inspector - from time to time, I have spoke during roll calls, and every single time, I make a deliberate choice. I choose to bring good energy with me. I bring a positive attitude — even when I have to be firm and direct. Even when the news isn’t good. Even when I’m carrying something heavy of my own.

I choose to do this not because everything is perfect. Not because I am always having a great day, and not because the job isn’t hard. I choose to exhibit positive energy because the members in that room I’m speaking to are about to walk out the door and serve my community — and the last thing they need is to carry my negative vibe with them.

It's not about pretending. It’s not about acting happy. It’s about understanding that your presence carries weight — and deliberately choosing, what kind of weight you want it to display to others.

As a leader your presence alone is powerful and impactful. So, use it wisely.

I know this because I’ve been on the receiving end of it. A supervisor approached me once to discuss what was, by any measure, an extremely minor concern. But the moment they started talking, I noticed something. Their vocal pace was rapid. Their voice was tight. Their energy was anxious and I could visibly see the anxiety in their face. And even though the issue was small, I felt their energy transfer to on me as my own heartbeat started to rise. I had to consciously catch myself.

What struck me was this: that supervisor had no idea that their energy transferred. They had no idea their energy was negatively affecting me. They probably had no idea it was probably affecting everyone else they’d spoken to that day about this minor concern.

As I noticed my heart rate increasing, I took a breath to calm myself and to stop the negative energy transfer from taking place. I told them the situation was under control. That it wasn’t the problem it felt like. I walked them through it calmly — and in calming them, I calmed myself back down.

That moment stayed with me because I saw clearly what a lack of self-awareness can do — not through bad intentions, but simply through not paying attention to what you’re carrying. Well before that moment, I knew that I never want to be the person who walks into someone’s space and leaves it worse than I found it.

Leadership is a part of what you bring into the room.

We talk a lot in law enforcement about decisions. Tactics. Accountability. And all of that matters. But here’s what we don’t talk about enough: the atmosphere you create the moment you walk in where others are present. The atmosphere you create when you approach your staff with situations that need to be addressed. The atmosphere you create is extremely important.

Think about the best supervisor you ever had. I’d bet you don’t just remember the decisions they’ve made. You remember how they made you feel. You remember if you left their presence wanting to do better and wanting to be better.

Now think about the worst supervisor you ever had. You don’t just remember the decisions they’ve made. You remember how they made you feel. You remember if you left their presence feeling terrible — or just wanting to leave their presence all together.

That’s why we must be intentional with our energy when we enter the space of another. Although it is a skill, it is one you can learn when exercising self-awareness. It’s a skill you have to practice just like any other part of this job.

I know that I can’t change everyone’s morale. Morale and attitude is something a person decides for themselves. But I can control my energy when engaging with them. And energy means everything.

The ripple effect is real.

Here’s what I know to be true: when your people leave your presence feeling built up, feeling seen, feeling like someone believes in them — they take that out into the world.

Into every interaction. Every call. Every moment with a community member who needs to feel like someone is on their side.

An officer who starts their shift carrying good energy from their supervisor shows up differently at that call for service, on that traffic stop, or with that family in crisis.

Your leadership doesn’t stop at the district door. It travels into the community through every officer you lead. What you pour into them, they pour into the people they serve. That is the ripple effect of intentional leadership and it starts with you.

So what does this look like in practice?

Walk in and greet your people. Look your people in the face and say hello. Don’t just scan for problems. Ask how someone is doing and actually wait for the answer. Acknowledge their feelings. Acknowledge a win before you address a concern. Congratulate them for doing good work. Tell them THANK YOU! Build real relationships with your people!

You want to be the kind of leader whose presence raises the room. Not drops it. But let me be clear — having positive energy is not about avoiding hard conversations. You can still be firm. You can still be direct. You can still hold people accountable. All of that still happens. But it can all happen while you choose to lead with empathy and respect. Those things are not in conflict with one another.

The leaders whose teams still walk away feeling respected after the hardest conversations — that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because trust was already there. And trust gets built in all those rooms where your energy said: I see you. I believe in you. We’re going to figure this out together. We got this!

Here’s what I want you to take from this.

Pay attention to the energy you’re walking in with. Before the briefing. Before the meeting. Before the one-on-one conversation with the member who’s struggling. Ask yourself: what am I carrying right now, and is it something I want my people carrying too?

If you are carrying weight or a negative vibe, take a deep breath and try to let that feeling subside before you approach someone. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be relentlessly positive. You just have to be intentional about the vibes you want to send to others because energy is contagious.

Go lead with good energy — your people and your community will feel it.

If this resonated, explore more at wearestrongenough.com.

© We Are Strong Enough  |  wearestrongenough.com