Energy vs. Impact Assessment
- Tara Giambrone
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
Assessing a team’s energy alongside their impact is essential for building sustainable success. High energy without meaningful results can lead to burnout or wasted effort, while strong impact with low energy may signal disengagement, fatigue, or an impending drop in performance. By paying attention to both, leaders can identify whether their teams are working in ways that are not only effective but also energizing and life-giving.
This lens helps ensure that people aren’t just producing outcomes—they’re doing so in a way that feels motivating, balanced, and aligned with their strengths. Ultimately, measuring energy versus impact allows organizations to cultivate teams that are both high-performing and deeply resilient.
Use this assessment to categorize your tasks, projects, or initiatives based on the energy they require and the impact they create. This helps you focus on what matters most and manage your energy wisely to avoid burnout.
How to Use:
List your current tasks or projects.
For each, assess how much energy it takes (physical, emotional, mental).
Assess the impact it has on your goals, team, or organization.
Place each task in one of the four categories below:
High Impact | High Energy
Vital work, important but draining
These tasks create significant value but consume a lot of energy.
Prioritize carefully, and find ways to share or replenish energy.
High Impact | Low Energy
Tasks that are low effort but have high impact.
Leverage these to build momentum and energy; pair with draining work.
Prioritize and maximize these for sustainable progress.
Low Impact | High Energy
Energy draining
Tasks that take much effort but yield little value.
Minimize, consider delegation or elimination.
Low Impact | Low Energy
Tasks with little impact and low energy required.
Should be low priority.
Consider postponing, eliminating, or delegating to team members under training or shadowing your work.
Example:
Task | Energy Level | Impact Level | Category |
Facilitating a leadership workshop | High | High | Vital Work |
Sending routine status emails | Low | Low | Low Priority |
Creating onboarding materials | Low | High | Leverage for momentum |
Managing non-essential admin tasks | High | Low | Energy draining |
Benefits of Using This Map:
Helps prevent burnout by avoiding over-commitment to high-energy, low-impact tasks.
Encourages strategic focus on activities that drive the most value.
Supports better delegation and prioritization decisions.
Want help aligning and optimizing your team’s energy and impact? Let Catalyst help you design the high-performance culture of your dreams.
Download additional resources to help you on your journey.