Have you ever come away from a conversation with someone on your strategic planning team feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck? It’s as if that person’s negativity has sucked all the energy out of you, leaving you empty, exhausted and confused.

But how about when the opposite occurs – when you leave a meeting with someone on your executive committee feeling like you’re walking on air, as if you could conquer the world (or at least your market segment)? It’s as if that person gave you a shot of adrenaline, leaving you absolutely crackling with energy, optimism and confidence.

As part of the research for his new book, Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows, bestselling author Charles P. Garcia interviewed over 200 distinguished strategic leaders who have served in the prestigious White House Fellows Program in Washington D.C. Garcia’s interview subjects included Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin, former CNN CEO Tom Johnson, Levi Strauss CEO Robert Haas, former Travelocity CEO Michelle Peluso and former Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange Marshall Carter.

Among other things, Garcia asked each Fellow to name some of the qualities they think are most important for a leader to possess. One recurring answer was that strategic leaders exude positive energy, and they know how to pass that energy on to their people as if it were the baton in a relay race. Here are a few specific communication and collaboration techniques for energizing people, courtesy of the White House Fellows:

· Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. One former Fellow, General Bernard Loeffke, never let a night go by without writing notes to at least five individuals who had done something positive for him or his people that day. “…I recorded the names of people I personally saw doing something right,” Loeffke said. “For example, I’d go into the range and see a sergeant who was doing truly good work, one of the best ranges I’ve seen, so I would get his name… and every night I’d sit down and write a minimum of five handwritten notes to the people who helped my staff or to those I had seen doing good work, thanking them for a job well done. Everyone needs recognition.”

· Create a ‘no-risk environment.’ When Frederick Benson III was a White House Fellow, he worked under an assistant Secretary of Defense who was a pro at creating a positive work environment. Years later when Benson was a company vice president running his own office, he carried on the upbeat management approach he learned in Washington. “I created a ‘no-risk environment’ in which I encouraged everybody to step in and do whatever they thought was right to help the company, without fear of making a mistake,” Benson said. “I told them… I would give them bonuses if they came up with something that worked. If something went wrong, I simply asked, ‘Okay, what did we learn?’… It reaped dividends. If you let people go and grow and give them the resources and help them when they stumble, they will dearly respect your leadership and want to break through barriers for you.”

· Develop and maintain a connection. For Mitchell Reiss’s Fellowship year, he was assigned to work in the office of the National Security Council with National Security Advisor Colin Powell. At a staff picnic in the early days of his Fellowship, Reiss and his wife arrived to find that Powell was already on the scene setting up tables, grilling burgers and hot dogs, and taking the time to greet every staff member and their families. “He came over to me and knew not only my name but introduced himself to my wife, Elisabeth, and thanked her for allowing me to work the hours that I worked at the NSC,” Reiss said. “He told her she should feel that she is part of the NSC family as well. That very brief but very personal interaction with Powell had an extraordinary impact on her. After he left, she turned to me and said, ‘You better do a good job for that man. If you need to stay late at work, I will never complain.’ That’s the sort of transformative impact that leadership can have…”

· Stay physically fit – and encourage your team to do the same. Before Major John Patrick Gallagher became a White House Fellow, he served under General David Petraeus in the U.S. Army’s 82^nd Airborne Division. One day, Petraeus asked his troops to name the Number One leadership priority of the brigade. The troops guessed integrity, tactical competence and the like, and were surprised when Petraeus said that physical fitness was the brigade’s top priority. Petraeus began leading the troops through grueling physical training every morning, pushing them to the brink and beyond, and Gallagher said the brigade naturally began to grow stronger – but not just physically. “All those things we wanted to do well got better, whether it was marksmanship or vehicle maintenance or soldiers going on leave and not getting arrested for DUI,” Gallagher said. “All these other indicators went up when Petraeus created this climate of self-discipline… Petraeus knew how to lead in such a way that it gives his subordinates energy. That’s an incredibly powerful leadership tool.”

The White House Fellows relied upon caring mentors and trusted advisors to help them with their leadership development. When you are ready to re-energize your team and take your own communication and collaboration skills to the next level, call upon an experienced executive leadership coach and strategic consultant for advice and direction. You – and your team – will be glad you did!

What is your most effective technique for energizing your team? Tell me about it by using the comment form above.