It isn’t surprising that leaders are finding it challenging to boost the energy levels of their team right now. In the spirit of collaboration, we thought it would be useful to share a few simple ideas easily forgotten for maintaining an energised team and also find out what is working for you and your teams, via a quick Linkedin poll
It’s time to try something different:
Take time out to chat to members of the team on an individual basis. It is easy to forget the benefit of those quick chats by the kettle, or passing comments in the corridor, in understanding what is going on in people’s home lives right now. Letting them know you are interested will help grow your relationship.
Show your appreciation on a regular basis. A simple thank you or well done from the boss, can go a long way to boosting motivation and making people feel appreciated.
Recognise achievements. Rewarding work well done doesn’t have to be expensive, a free duvet day, £10 gift voucher or Cadbury’s variety pack delivered to their door, won’t break the bank but could mean a lot.
Introduce new formats to online meetings. Lets face it we are all zoomed out at this stage, but its not going away, so try using the chat & reaction features more to encourage engagement, or try out new channels like gatherly for breakout sessions and small group discussion.
Invest in teambuilding development sessions. – We are great fans of Insights, as it is a fun programme benefiting the business and personal development. The sessions help to develop greater self awareness of differences in personal energy levels and approach, which supports better collaboration across the team.
Encourage time away from the screen – Switch video calls for phone calls, so you can walk & talk or plan screen timeout’s across the team where no one is tempted to squeeze in yet another catch up.
Build flexibility into daily work patterns, to help people balance their time and energy levels. Home schooling, older parents needing support or the dog excited to go for a walk, are adding to the pressure people are feeling working at home. Offering more flexibility needs to come with the mutual trust that people will still deliver, but means they will be more focused.
Encourage upward communication for new ideas and feedback from the team – its easy for people to become disconnected from the business, with not working face to face. Creating easy ways like a shared Google doc, to capture ideas for new innovations or upward feedback which is then shared across the wider team will help colleagues feel involved in the future of the company.
Frequent measurement of team morale – waiting for the annual staff survey this year, is likely to let issues build and positive sentiment erode, whereas a simple score out of 10 each week on how motivated people are about a series of topics related to the business operation, could help steer the leadership agenda and support for colleagues.
Create mini communities to combat feelings of isolation – for all the extroverts in the team, encouraging group work and project work will help those feeling isolated, create momentum and lift the energy levels of those who need the support of others to thrive.
Whilst some of these tips may not be right for your business or team, this shouldn’t stop you trying new things to re-energise yourself and your team. Get their input into what they want to do differently too, after all we grow and learn from new experiences, even if those changes don’t lead us where we thought they would !
If we can be of help to you or your business, or bring a fresh source of energy to the team, please do let us know