SIX BATTERIES OF CHANGE 14 though, and especially to corporate managers, is the integration of our ideas in what follows. Energy as the main driver of change The starting point of our change model is that effective transformation is about managing organizational energy. When we look at the history of organizational change efforts, we come to the conclusion that the most common reason a compa- ny’s leaders fail to reach their desired outcome is because their change efforts run out of energy… they fizzle out. Leaders who are able to tap into the existing ener- gy for change that exists in the company’s culture and in its people, and unleash this energy for the benefit of achieving organizational goals, typically get better outcomes. Building and maintaining energy for change for the long haul is a key requirement for leaders with transformational ambitions. While the concept of energy features surprisingly little in the business press, we are all witness to its importance in the corporate world. Southwest Airlines, Ap- ple, Google, Haier, IKEA… these are ambitious, vital and agile companies, known for being innovative and entrepreneurial, hitting the market with successful products and services, and being driven by a passionate, positive and dynamic workforce. Energy abounds in these companies; they are energized. Contrast this with low-en- ergy companies, where there is a lack of challenge, lost opportunities, waste of talent, cynicism and frustration, and where mediocrity rules.3 Energy is an important characteristic of great leadership, too. Effective leaders are able to harness the energy of their people to create a better future. Manage- ment writer Peter Drucker claimed: “Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help to orchestrate the energy of those around you.” Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr, authors of the book The Power of Full Engagement, shared this view: “Above all else, a leader is the Chief Energy Officer. Leaders are the stewards of organizational energy; they invest energy from all the connected cells in the service of the corporate mission.”4