Employees everywhere are suffering from chronically low engagement and productivity levels, while stress and burnout continue to rise. Add to this the pressures of economic uncertainty and a potential recession, the threat of artificial intelligence automating jobs and skills and disrupting entire industries, and the sense of exhaustion and loneliness that more permeates the work experiences of many, and the overall picture is quite bleak. . If you want to compete for talent, and create truly attractive environments in your team and organization, where people thrive and succeed, you need to help them rediscover human (and human) qualities which makes work more than work. This is especially critical for people managers, with meta-analytic studies showing that about 30% to 40% of the variance in team morale, performance, and critical organizational behavior (good and bad) can explain what managers and leaders are. do it. Simply put: bosses play an important role affecting the well-being and success of teams. This article discusses three potential action areas for managers and leaders who want to improve their team’s morale, well-being and performance, especially during difficult or uncertain times.
Although the past 100 years saw considerable improvement in the working conditions of the environment the worldespecially within the knowledge economy, our work is not yet done.
Consider that even experienced workers – that is new benefit from a higher level of freedom and flexibility, not to mention access to meaningful jobs and careers, and employers expressing a desire to develop the workforce health and well-being – suffering from chronic low engagement and productivity level, while stress and burnout keep going up. Add to this the pressures of economic uncertainty and a potential eCONOMYthe threat of artificial intelligence automating jobs and skills and disrupt the entire industry, and the feeling of weak and Loneliness that permeates the work experiences of many, and the overall picture is somewhat bleak.
In our view, there is no better time to change jobs. That is, at a time when a large proportion of our daily interactions with others (e.g., clients, colleagues, and bosses, and even spouses and children) are reduced to those sterile exchange of technology, while our careers seem optimized for efficiency, no wonder many workers feel deprived themselves creativity, curiosity, and humanity in all.
The implication? If you want to compete for talent, and create reality attractive environments in your group and organization, where people develop and succeed, you must help them rediscover the human (and human) qualities that make work more than work.
This is especially critical for those who manage people, with meta-analytic studies showing that around 30% to 40% of the innovation team morale, performance, and critical organizational behavior (good and bad) can be explained by what managers and leaders do. Simply put: Bosses has a significant role affecting the BENEFITS and success in teams. There is no shortage of historical examples to illustrate this constant research quest: from Catherine the Great nation buildingon Breaking Sir Alex Ferguson’s record at Manchester Unitedof Satya Nadella’s radical Renewal at Microsoft, effective collaboration between people is dramatically enhanced by effective leadership.
With that, we see three potential action areas for managers and leaders who want to improve the morale, well-being and performance of their team, especially during difficult or uncertain times.
refreshed
In any organization, the level of energy and output varies accordingly many CONTENTS as between individuals. The same employee can be very productive one year and unproductive the next.
In the presence of unfavorable conditions (for example, economic crisis, political instability, a global pandemic, etc.) a decline in morale and performance is likely in many teams. Therefore, managers and leaders of people should focus on revitalizing their teams, which is mainly about motivating and re-motivating people.
A good way to achieve this is to start with the why, which is consistent with the idea that it is a critical aspect of leadership. “management of meaning.” People crave meaning, and leaders are well positioned to shape meaning, which helps us make sense of the world.
The most important task is to emphasize – always – why the work of a group is important. Even in difficult economic conditions, most people have options to choose from for their careers, leading to doubt and uncertainty about where to go, what to do next, and how to decide.
If leaders help people remember and accept why, they are more likely to believe that they are important to the success of the company’s goals. It is stimulating, and makes people feel rejuvenated. One way to do this is to celebrate past achievements and link them to future goals and achievements. Emphasize social relationships among team members and remind team members of their shared history and past challenges, to help them feel connected to each other, and to the team’s mission.
What can you do to live again?
- Emphasize and re-emphasize the purpose of the group or organization.
- Ask people what is important to them, what they really care about/believe in.
- Ask people to describe how what they do (their role) affects the team and ultimately customers (or those served by the organization’s work)
- Invite people to say what they get from each other — what they appreciate about working together.
Ayo
It is about using the power of leadership to heal existing and past wounds, restore well-being, and solve human rather than business problems. All human relationships can be destroyed by misunderstandings, misunderstandings, conflicts, and failures. Smart leaders help their teams learn from failures and turn them into valuable lessons.
To achieve this, vulnerability goes a long way, enabling psychological safety and be frank with your team. Be open, transparent, honest, and self-critical, all in the interest of fostering an open dialogue and bringing the team together to sustain collaboration and progress. In our view, one of the best ways to assess your leadership talent is to check the ratio of bad news to good news that you receive as a manager or leader: If it is lower than 2-to-5, there is probably is room for improvement.
What can you do to fix it?
- Your team will suggest that you all look at some of their recent struggles/breakdowns. Identify one or two that are very important, or just recent enough to facilitate an honest conversation.
- Next, ask each person to think about what they did, or failed to do, that in a smaller or larger way may have played a role in the breakdown.
- Listen, understand, forgive, reassure.
Refocus
Help your team regain focus by aligning team members on key priorities. Remember that less is more, especially when teams are tired and fatigued.
Also remember that you can never over-communicate, while under-communicating is easier than you think and a major cause of most team problems. In particular, avoiding difficult conversations and avoiding conflict are sure ways to ensure more serious conflict in the future.
Consider ending each year (or beginning the new year) with a clear strategy session, aligning people on key goals and implementation plans. Remember that, says Michael Porter THE audiencethe strategy is to decide what will not do like what to do. Your key goal is to make sure everyone understands the what, why, and how, so they get excited about getting on the bus, going to an attractive destination, and playing their part to help. all achieve challenging goals. This way, the journey will be enjoyable.
What can you do to refocus?
Ask your team the following questions:
- What can we do better?
- What do we leave behind?
- What is really necessary for achieving the work we believe is important
The final consideration is for you … not as a manager, but as a person. Just like in an airplane, we are told to put on our oxygen mask before we can help others, we must help ourselves first. Your ability to energize your team depends on whether you can stay positive, calm, and energetic yourself. There is no substitute for working on your own health, and taking care of yourself is a critical pre-condition for taking care of others. In that sense, the worst leadership mistake you can make is to prioritize your team over yourself, because it’s only when you can revive, heal, and focus on yourself, that you can help your people. person to follow.
