Energy & Emissions

There is nothing more necessary for success than to have a strong and competent Energy Leader. A good Energy Leader is a rare individual with solid technical skills, polished management expertise, and good interpersonal communications capabilities. If you are thinking that the Energy Leader position is a good place to season technical employees for management, you would be right. Good performance as Energy Leader can be a wonderful stepping off point to higher management levels. But back to the matter at hand.

The Energy Leader has the following tasks (in priority order):

1. Building the Energy Team - Yes! Building the team is the most critical task. The Energy Leader must choose a team that represents all facets of the organization's operation so that ideas can be harvested from throughout the company, and support for projects is pre-determined. It is then most critical that each team member be given clear responsibility for part of the effort, and the opportunity for recognition for their work. If you find yourself making up jobs, you're on the wrong track.

   
   

2. Setting the Goal - The Energy Leader should not unilaterally set a goal, however attractive that may sound. Goals can come from upper management (which is, after all, sponsoring the effort), or from external programs. The Department of Energy has an excellent program called Save Energy Now that actually provides some resources to help you if you commit to the program's goals. Or you may want to go ISO. A new ISO standard, ISO 50001, is now out in Draft International Standard (DIS) form. The final comes out next year. An ISO certification can be a solid message to shareholders, customers, and suppliers of your commitment to energy use reduction. But the most effective goals come from the Team itself if you can drive that discussion to resolution. Nothing energizes people like a common goal forged in a common foundry. Whether you end up with internal goals, external goals, or certification of some sort, make sure it surfaces from your Team.

   
   

3. Publicizing the Energy Initiative - I know. You're wondering when we're going to start talking about energy here. We will soon. But first, the Energy Leader must make sure that communications lines are open from your Team Members to the rest of their organizations. A meeting with each organization with the relevant Team Member with you at the podium is a great way to confer authority and urgency on your Team Member's efforts. It's also worth holding a few three-way meetings with your Team Member and individuals in his or her organization. This enables you to model good communications to your Team Member without seeming obsequious, and to energize key individuals in each of your Team Members' organizations. These need not be done at once, but may be extended over a period of a few months.

   
   

4. Clearly Define the Work Effort - Finally, the Energy Leader must clearly define the work effort and schedule. This ensures that Team Members understand what is expected of them. But it also makes clear to upper management what to expect from the process and what outcomes to be looking for.

   
   

5. Get to Work - Okay, now we're ready to start talking energy, and in my next post, I'll outline what the work effort looks like from a more technical standpoint.

Depending upon your organization, the Energy Leader takes on various tasks directly. But delegating tasks is a critical part of the program's effectiveness. So don't give in to the temptation to just do everything yourself!

Part Three: Getting to Work

Paul Birkeland lives in Seattle, WA, US, and develops Strategic Energy Management Systems for government, commercial, and industrial organizations through Integrated Renewable Energy.