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Technical Report The Leadership Pulse started in 2003 by Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne. The Leadership Pulse helps
managers learn from each other, in real time, using Energy Pulsing and executivelearning with the Center for E�ective Organizations.
www.leadershippulse.com
Leader Confidence, Energy, Fast HR
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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CONFIDENCE, ENERGY AND FAST HR:
LESSONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF A PANDEMIC
The latest Leadership Pulse focused on three key areas: energy, leadership confidence and Fast HR. In
addition, while not an intended focus of the study, we were able to collect data both before the
widespread emergence of COVID-19 and after its emergence as countries were locking down and
organizations were changing the fundamental ways they did work.
Energy Levels and Trends
We have been measuring energy of leaders since 2003, using a 0 to 10 optimization scale where 0 is no
energy and 10 is referred to as “dangerously high energy”, an over-energized state that can reduce
productivity and lead to burnout. Leaders’ current energy or working energy increased slightly from the
last pulse, from 6.25 to 6.32.
Using the same 0 to 10 scale, we also asked leaders where they were at their best (optimal energy).
Research shows that working energy levels more than one point away from optimal leads to high risk for
lower productivity. The difference between working energy and optimal energy is the energy gap.
About 47% of respondents are reporting working more than one point away from optimal energy;
however, this is actually down 5% from the last energy pulse. Interestingly, about 10% of leaders are
four points below their optimal energy, strongly suggesting they are well below where they are most
productive.
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Energy Trend
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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The data indicate that for CEOs, Presidents, and the C-Suite employees, there was very little change in
energy. Those at the VP level show a slight decrease. Managers and Supervisors score a large increase
in energy level. This is consistent with prior results, as historically, we see the least variation in the
energy levels of the top executives and higher variation in leadership roles further down the chain.
Data and Dialogue Driven Leadership
We suggest leaders using these data engage in dialogue to uncover reasons for these ‘deviations’ in the
data. Patterns that are unexpected provide opportunities to explore, learn and perhaps reflect on the
2.6%
32.2%
18.3%
21.7%
25.2%
Energy Gap (working energy - optimal energy)
Zero Gap
0.01-0.50 gap
0.51-1.00 gap
1.01-2.00 gap
2.01+ gap
-0.08
-0.31
1.10
CEO/President & C-Suite All VP levels Managers & Supervisors
Change in Energy Levels
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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cause of the data differences. We can speculate that the supervisors and managers, on the front line,
are seeing problems earlier than the more senior executives. Thus, being in touch with them, collecting
frequent data, and considering these front-line employees as key informants can be a strategic and
valuable way to manage during times of high change.
Pandemic Strikes
Data were collected to study the effect of the pandemic on energy levels. Surprisingly, leader energy
changed very little during the emergence and initial spread of COVID-19 during 2020.
Leadership Confidence
The Leadership Confidence question set asks leaders to rate their confidence in 7 items on a 1 to 5 scale
where 1 is not at all confident and 5 is very confident. The Leadership Confidence Index is the average
of these 7 items. Historically, while individual items may change, the overall index does not vary much.
However, the Leadership Confidence Index is higher than it has been in the past 10 years.
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Pre-CoVvd Emergence Post Covid Emergence
Energy Change During Pandemic
3.61 3.61 3.61
3.58
3.613.59
3.70
3.50
3.55
3.60
3.65
3.70
3.75
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Leadership Confidence Index Trend
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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When we break the index down by individual items, we see that the primary drivers of this increase are
an organization’s strategy making process (+0.27), the organization’s leadership team overall (+0.20),
and the organization’s ability to change as needed (+0.18).
Further, when we examine changes in confidence levels during the emergence of COVID-19, the results
show that the largest change is, unsurprisingly, a 0.34-point drop in the confidence level in the economic
climate. Additionally, leaders reporting higher confidence levels in their ability to change and their
strategy making process as they were put to the test by the pandemic. Confidence in the leadership
team overall remained high and is a vote of confidence in our business leaders.
Pre COVID Emergence
Post COVID Emergence
Change
Your organization's ability to change as needed
3.44 3.69 +0.25
Your organization's strategy making process
3.51 3.73 +0.22
Your organization has the right people/skills
3.59 3.72 +0.13
Your organization's ability to execute on its vision
3.58 3.68 +0.10
Your own personal leadership and management
4.06 4.12 +0.06
Your organization's leadership team overall.
3.93 3.93 0.00
The economic climate for your organization
3.64 3.30 -0.34
3.56
3.37
3.34
3.63
3.54
3.73
3.95
3.49
3.55
3.61
3.62
3.65
3.93
4.08
3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2
The economic climate for your organization
Your organization's ability to change as needed
Your organization's strategy making process
Your organization's ability to execute on itsvision
Your organization has the right people/skills
Your organization's leadership team overall.
Your own personal leadership and management
Change in Leadership Confidence Items
2020 2018
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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Fear and Coping
The pandemic has created a high sense of urgency and fear, and based on stories we have heard from
employees and leaders as well as these data, we hypothesize that the improved confidence data are
indicative of a positive, fast and well received response by many business leaders.
It is important, during this time, that all leaders engage in activities to help employees cope with the
higher anxiety-causing conditions. Optimal productivity and energy are experienced when levels of
urgency and coping are in balance. During this pandemic, it is impossible for leaders to control the sense
of urgency their employees are feeling. It comes from external conditions that are not under one
leader’s control. Thus, the best we can do as leaders is match the high levels of urgency with improved
perceptions of coping skills.
Helping employees set up home offices, providing information about personal safety, sharing data on
how to get supplies needed, teaching skills for conference and web-based calling and more all help
employees cope. And as the pandemic goes on longer, we need to remember that coping needs to
remain high. Continuous reaching out will build teams’ confidence and help maintain health and
productivity.
Fast HR
Over the years, we have built a body of work on what we call Fast HR. No, it is not about fast heart rates.
It is about the speed at which HR can deliver to employees and leaders. We started this work as a way to
borrow from new ways of working in technology areas, using agile and extreme programming ideas in
HR.
As part of this work we did baseline research on both the speed and accuracy of the HR function and
work. This research uses a series of questions that have been utilized in prior Leadership Pulse studies as
well as within organizations. The questions use a 1 to 7 response scale, where 1 is painfully slow to
incredibly fast. Additionally, for the accurate scale, which accompanies the fast HR questions, the
response scale goes from 1, which is always inaccurate, to 7, which is high accuracy. We used the same
question set in the 2010 Leadership Pulse. When we examine changes in scores over that 10-year
period, we see a small decrease (-0.05) in accuracy, but a much larger decrease (-0.16) in speed.
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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When we look at the speed and accuracy of the HR function of organizations across different financial
performance levels, we see that as financial performance increases, so do the reported speed and
accuracy scores
When we dig further into the responses of individuals across performance levels, very clear patterns
emerge. Respondents from very high performing firms overwhelmingly (87.6%) rated their HR function
as accurate or better, but that group split as to whether they considered their HR function to be fast.
Two-thirds of respondents from high performing firms rate their HR function as accurate or better, but
the percent of people who rate it as neither fast nor accurate is twice the level of very high performing
firms. Over half of those from firms that have average or below financial performance rate their HR
function as neither fast nor accurate. Very few people over all stated that their HR function was fast but
not accurate.
4.15
4.79
3.99
4.74
3.00 3.20 3.40 3.60 3.80 4.00 4.20 4.40 4.60 4.80 5.00
Speed
Accuracy
Change in HR Speed and Accuracy
2020 2010
4.75, 5.50
4.14, 4.97
3.60, 4.23
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
5.50
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3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00
Acc
ura
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Speed
HR Speed and Accuracy by Financial Performance
Very High High Average or Below
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
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In addition, we see that most of the negative change in speed and accuracy is found in those
organizations whose financial performance is average or below. Both high and very high performing
firms show increases in accuracy, and very high performing firms show an increase in speed as well.
Change in Speed Change in Accuracy
Average or Below -0.39 -0.49
High -0.04 +0.20
Very High +0.39 +0.53
The Fast HR learning suite of tools has helped numerous organizations change their HR mindset. We
modified methodologies developed for agile and extreme programming and adopted them to HR.
Examples from using this work were changes in how training programs were developed, improvements
in recruiting and new models of working with leaders.
The key difference is rolling out work in small batches vs. waiting for a program to be perfect and then
implementing. Programmers started using agile and extreme programming tools because they were
tired of spending time and money for deliverables that customers did not want. The same goes for HR.
The search for perfection is not necessarily what is wanted or needed by internal customers. We find
that employees and leaders are often willing to accept a less than perfect solution they can use today,
and then they can provide feedback for version two.
In times of high change, speed is going to be a lesson learned by everyone in HR, whether they want to
learn it or not. We suggest that using some reflective learning skills and thinking through what HR has
accomplished in the short timeframe needed to deal with the pandemic can help when the crisis starts
to slow down. In other words, learn to stay fast – even if the pressure is not there to compel those
changes.
Summary
We did not intend this leadership pulse report to cover the effects of a pandemic hitting the world.
However, we do see some insights that we hope are useful to leaders across the world.
As we learn to cope with this tragic reality, we can lean on each other. Leaders can help employees
cope, and HR can support the work being done. We wish everyone the best and suggest that you use
these data to start a conversation with your teams. Data and dialogue help individuals learn, cope, take
action and that can all lead to better results in your organization.
Copyright 2020, eePulse, Inc.
