Some people drain you. Some people spark something in you. And it turns out—that spark is measurable.
In organizational life, we often measure what people produce—revenue, deliverables, deadlines met. But we rarely ask: how do they affect the people around them?
There’s a concept called relational energy that might change how you think about high performance. Unlike motivation, which is internal, relational energy is the uplift you feel when interacting with certain people. It’s contagious. It travels through teams. And like a battery, some people leave you more charged, others more depleted.
Relational Energy 101
The term was studied in depth by Bradley Owens, along with colleagues Wayne Baker, Donald Sumpter and Kim Cameron, in a 2016 Journal of Applied Psychology paper. Their research found that people who consistently uplift those around them:
- Are more likely to be sought out as collaborators
- Improve team cohesion
- Boost others’ engagement and creativity
- Help sustain high performance under stress
Importantly, this isn’t about charisma or extroversion.
You can be quietly energizing—through how you listen, support, problem-solve, or show up consistently.
Energy Is a Network Effect
Relational energy spreads through social connections, much like electricity through a circuit or heat in a system. One person’s presence can uplift an entire meeting. One depleted manager can create a ripple of disengagement across multiple teams.
But here’s the catch: we don’t typically measure energy. We measure outputs and inputs (time, money, effort)—but not the amplification effect that happens when energy flows through a group.
Why It’s So Often Missed
Relational energy is subtle. It happens in micro-moments:
- A well-timed check-in
- A teammate who makes problems feel solvable
- A thoughtful comment that flips frustration into insight
These moments rarely get logged in performance systems. But they’re often what makes work feel sustainable—or not.
Reflection Prompt for Managers:
“Who in your team leaves people more energized than they found them?”
It’s time we recognized not just who delivers—but who multiplies.
What Libra Is Doing About It
At Libra, we’re building tools to surface the unseen forces behind performance. That includes:
- Helping individuals reflect on who gives (and drains) energy
- Anonymously aggregating patterns that reveal under-recognized energizers
- Providing managers with signals that go beyond output—toward relational capital
We believe the best teams don’t just execute.
They energize each other. And that kind of value deserves to be seen.
This post is the first in a series of posts looking at interesting research directions in the field of performance management. Check out our other posts here:
- On Epistemic Curiosity: Why Some Teams Learn Faster: The Hidden Power of Curiosity at Work
- On Identity Recognition: You Can’t Be What You Can’t Be Seen As: Why Identity Recognition Matters at Work
- On Goal Self-Concordance: Why Some Goals Stick: The Science of Meaningful Motivation