The Power of Human Energy: Angela Ahrendts at TEDxHollywood

Summary

Angela Ahrendts shares her experiences and insights on the transformative power of human energy in her TEDxHollywood talk. Drawing from years of leadership in the fashion industry, Ahrendts emphasizes the significance of channeling human energy to unite and inspire communities and companies. She reflects on the core components of energy: trust, intuition, and belief, which are essential for fostering positive environments and driving success. Ahrendts encourages leaders to leverage authentic communication and emotional connection to cut through today’s digital noise, highlighting that technology serves merely as a conduit, while human emotion is the true connector. The talk advocates for revisiting fundamental human communication principles and underscores the potential of collective human energy to create profound change.

Highlights

• Angela Ahrendts talks about the transformative power of human energy. 🚀
• Human energy is like emotional electricity that unites people. ⚡
• Trust, intuition, and belief are key to harnessing energy. 🗝️
• Authenticity in communication breaks through digital clutter. 🖥️
• Technology connects, but human emotion makes people feel. ❤️

Key Takeaways

• Human energy has the power to unite and transform companies and communities. 🤝
• Trust, intuition, and belief are crucial components of tapping into human energy. 🌟
• Authentic communication cuts through the digital noise. 📢
• Technology is a conduit, but emotion is the true connector. 💡
• Collective human energy can create profound change. 🔄

Overview

Angela Ahrendts dives deep into the topic of human energy, which she believes is a vital force in transforming organizations and communities. By sharing her personal and professional experiences, Ahrendts highlights how leaders can harness this invisible yet palpable energy to create cohesive and thriving environments.

The talk emphasizes the components of trust, intuition, and belief as the bedrock for harnessing human energy. Ahrendts shares anecdotes of her leadership journey where these elements played a pivotal role in overcoming challenges and achieving success, illustrating their power with real-world examples.

Ahrendts also discusses the role of technology in modern communication, suggesting that while it facilitates messaging, the true essence of connection lies in authentic human emotions. By leveraging this, leaders can not only stand out in the crowded digital space but also genuinely engage and inspire their audiences with meaningful interactions.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to the Speaker and Topic The chapter starts with the speaker acknowledging the introduction and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to present. They appear slightly hesitant, asking the audience for patience during their presentation. The speaker then begins to give a brief personal background to establish context for the presentation.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Angela's Background and Initial Thoughts on Energy The chapter introduces Angela, who has spent the majority of her life in the fashion industry, working in cities like New York, LA, and London. Despite her career, she roots back to her upbringing in a small Midwestern town as part of a large family. Her mother was spiritual and her father a philosopher, providing a unique and thoughtful upbringing. Angela is inspired by significant global leaders. She expresses nervousness as she is unable to talk about a transformation she has experienced for the first time in seven years.
• 01:00 - 01:30: The Importance of Human Energy The chapter titled 'The Importance of Human Energy' focuses on the concept of human energy as a powerful force inherent in all individuals. The speaker emphasizes that while it is intangible and often goes unspoken, its impact is significant. They plan to delve into insights and learning accumulated over the years regarding this topic, distinguishing human energy from more commonly discussed energy sources like oil, solar, wind, or natural gas, and strategies related to conservation or sustainability.
• 01:30 - 02:00: What is Energy and How it Impacts Us The chapter 'What is Energy and How it Impacts Us' delves into the concept of human energy and its distinctive ability to unify and transform both companies and communities. The narrator highlights the scarcity of open discussions on this topic, especially compared to the vast number of talks on general energy concepts.
• 02:00 - 03:00: The Need for Positive Human Energy The chapter titled 'The Need for Positive Human Energy' explores the concept of energy from a human perspective. The speaker draws a parallel between breathing air and exchanging energy - suggesting that just as we inhale and exhale air, we also take in and emit energy. The discussion points out that despite its importance, very few leaders address or discuss the topic of positive human energy.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Trust, Intuition, and Belief as Foundations of Energy The chapter discusses energy as a foundational element, akin to discovering one's passion. It emphasizes the importance of listening to and exploring this energy, which acts as a driving force that embraces challenges. The text suggests that everyone has experienced a moment when a person's presence feels more significant, highlighting the intuitive and belief-based aspects of energy.
• 04:00 - 06:00: The Role of Technology and Emotional Connection The chapter discusses the concept of energy as 'emotional electricity' and its impact on environments and people. It illustrates how certain environments or situations, perceived as more vibrant or fast-paced, naturally attract individuals. This allure, though difficult to articulate, is instinctively felt by people as a pull towards being part of something greater. The chapter emphasizes the unifying power of this energy in bringing together ordinary individuals, enhancing their collective spirit to achieve remarkable feats.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Conclusion and Final Thoughts on Human Energy The chapter reflects on the unprecedented changes and challenges faced by society today, noting an increased level of fear, distrust, and uncertainty. The author highlights the paralysis felt by many communities, such as those in Indianapolis, due to a lack of hope. The chapter suggests that positive energy is essential to counterbalance the prevailing negativity.

The Power of Human Energy: Angela Ahrendts at TEDxHollywood Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] [Applause] thanks Ken good morning I do want a better company than I give presentation so you will bear with me um but let me go back a little bit further tell you about myself um I
• 00:30 - 01:00 have been in the fashion industry over 60% of my life from New York to LA and now London but I've also been from a small Midwestern town and a really big family 100% of my life raised by a spiritual mother and a philosopher father and inspired over the years by amazing great global leaders and as Ken said I'm a little nervous because this is literally the first time in seven years I am not allowed to talk about the transformation that I've
• 01:00 - 01:30 recently done so I decided to focus on the second half of the topic and share with you some of the other stuff that that that I've learned over the last couple of years and I think it's actually one of the most powerful forces that we're all born with but we rarely discuss it and and and you can't see it but it is so strongly felt my talk today is on energy not oil solar wind natural gas not how to conserve or how to sustain
• 01:30 - 02:00 because after two hours I found over 560 TED Talks online about that topic my talk today is on human energy and how it single-handedly has the power to unite and transform companies and communities and there were less than 10 TED talks on this topic so bear with me um what is energy h this is kind of the part where I felt
• 02:00 - 02:30 like I needed to put on my earth shoes and my Poncho and and so but bear with me a second because again it's not a topic that that we all talk a lot about so think of it this way we breathe we all take in and we all exhale air right I believe we also all take in and we all emit energy very few leaders talk about it
• 02:30 - 03:00 and even fewer have mastered it but when you find it energy is like discovering your passion listening to it exploring it it's like this forward charging spirit that creates challenges and and Embraces those change and challenges and if that's a little heady for this early in the morning then think of it this way everyone of you has encountered a certain person felt like someone is more present or when you're
• 03:00 - 03:30 around them you feel more real more aware or you've walked into an environment or an office when when things feel like they're moving a little faster for some reason instinctively you're drawn to it subconsciously you want to be a part of it but you can't really articulate what it is so think of energy almost like emotional electricity it has a powerful way of uniting Ordinary People their Collective Spirit to do extraordinary things why do we
• 03:30 - 04:00 needed I mean I don't think anyone would argue that we're undergoing unprecedented change today and there's probably the greatest amount of fear distrust un certainty than ever before so many communities you I'm from Indianapolis Indiana and every time I go back I'm just fascinated on how many communities are literally paralyzed because there's just lack of hope I believe we need positive energy to be channeled to help counterbalance all of the negative
• 04:00 - 04:30 disruptive energy out there right now I think we need it to remove a lot of the individual barriers and individual idiosyncracies we needed to unite groups of people to focus on what's best for the greater good of the whole when you do this creates confidence creates a safe environment where people feel they belong they're worthy and I would argue they feel love not a lot of people talking about love today
• 04:30 - 05:00 but it was funny I wanted to have a leader that I could quote that said you know they they created a movement on love talking to my mom she reminded me that today 2,000 years ago a great leader said love one another as I've loved you not a religious statement whatsoever but a great leadership fact emotive energy
• 05:00 - 05:30 transcends normal communication and rational ways of working it inspires people to do and give more and I can say this because I have been on a real self-discovery journey um specifically the last seven eight years and I will tell you one thing on energy it was funny before I decided to accept this job I met with a chief creative officer in New York and and brainstormed that over could we create the kind of company that we both always dreamed of working for so we put the strategies on
• 05:30 - 06:00 a napkin and literally put them aside and spent the next two hours talking about energy how we could create it because we knew we would we would need something else additional to realize our dreams took the job eight months later hired a consulting company as you often do in this position to confuse you with some facts they went on to tell my board there was a 5% probability that I could achieve the plan I put for
• 06:00 - 06:30 forward and funny because looking back I don't think they ever considered energy or realized how quickly it could unite align and bring promise the plan was achieved one you're early but what makes energy work energy needs to come from a very deep core for me it's three things trust intuition and belief these are Universal
• 06:30 - 07:00 truths that form a foundation that everybody can always depend trust since the creation of man is where we all derive our greatest strength and power it's like the exterior heart that all energy flows through I often think of it as this cognitive and this emotional sea where our deepest compassions and our greatest thoughts are free to Flow undeterred by human insecurities trust is the basis in every human relation ship and singlehandedly
• 07:00 - 07:30 the most powerful force of positive energy without it energy can't even be formed but when it's in place it unlocks freedom and a peace but intuition I think of it as a form of wisdom the gift of knowing without reasoning when you're not forced to overthink things it's amazing the clarity that emerges and how rapidly you can
• 07:30 - 08:00 adapt intuition is usually more right than wrong though we love to convince oursel otherwise why is it that we value thinking over feeling why aren't we taught to follow our natural inclinations to protect the possibilities instead of just accepting the probabilities I can say this because I have a lot of experience in intuition and
• 08:00 - 08:30 feeling I am a little odd I am what in our industry we call a 5050 I am half right brain empathetic and I am half left brain analytical I have learned to feel my way through life personally and professionally I have learned to listen and to hone my instincts to be perceptive and be receptive to change to constantly live in
• 08:30 - 09:00 ambiguity how else can leaders today look around the corner and warn others what's coming only when you follow your instincts and continually renew your mind can your possibilities become realities but on to belief have you ever really thought about that old adage success breed success belief to me is the more rational side of energy it kind of begins end with hope
• 09:00 - 09:30 Hope's positive spirits and that it's reinforced with facts and evidence and becomes belief think of it as kind of setting the energy in motion the action before it happens the mental source of alignment I have always believed that my job was not only to create great Brands but to create great companies and I have believed that great companies could not only touch and transform lives
• 09:30 - 10:00 but need to through the power of their performance belief creates the success that breeds more success it is the self-reinforcing part of creating energy so as Ken said we all know everybody's a media company today and there's more content being created and that it can be delivered as quickly as you want wherever you want but given all the noise out there how do leaders make sure that their message is communicated clearly to the audience that they
• 10:00 - 10:30 want two thoughts on this one technology is the conduit it simply allows you to scale that message in the most cost-efficient way possible but how do companies and communities in this day and age keep Pace with as fast as society's changing the great news I think is that we're an amazing inflection point in a few short years mobile will run nearly everything Emerging Markets have already leaped
• 10:30 - 11:00 frog developed markets in in this whole investment infrastructure your customers and your Associates are already living on the same platforms same digital devices the lines of communication are forever blurred there's one platform to communicate a consistent cohesive message how do we do that and I would argue in the most authentic way possible
• 11:00 - 11:30 that's how your message will start to cut through the Clutter so if technology is a conduit you're the content or if technology is the physical connector you're the emotional connector but how do you connect with so many more people I don't think there's any secret that feeling is the greatest essence of authentic communication and it's funny I'm reminded of a great quote my little sister text me a couple of years ago
• 11:30 - 12:00 famous American poet Maya Angelou and she says people will forget what you did they will forget what you said but they will never forget the way you made them feel I do believe that creating compelling emotive content today so that people can feel your presence as if you were physically standing in front of them is vital in all of the content that we're all communicating it's so much easier to do
• 12:00 - 12:30 in person when you're in your comfort zone and your company and you're talking directly to people about a topic you're all passionate about but how do you do it I thought it'd be a little easier in this environment but I can't see you and I can't feel your energy and I can't see your eyes or my husband possibly sleeping in the back but the irony is the more technologically advanced Society becomes maybe maybe the more we need to go back
• 12:30 - 13:00 to the basic fundamentals of human communication because you are the content but it's not about you and I know this is counterintuitive unless you were raised in the heart of the Midwest like I was my father's voice has guided me for years and he always used to say he would know he'd done a great job if when I looked at a photo I saw myself last but what happens when all of this comes together
• 13:00 - 13:30 this final State I call it creative wisdom and this is when energy takes on its greatest most transformative power groups cherish and flourish in this state creating greater things than any individual could possibly obtain I've had the honor and the privilege to experience the awesome power of human energy it's been a fascinating and fulfilling journey and anybody can do it we're all born with it how do we unlock it how do we communicate it how do we
• 13:30 - 14:00 use it to transform companies and communities and I would argue Jill that's how we create a greater America going forward thank you [Music]