The Initial Crisis Is Over…Now, How Do You Energize Your Team?

Leaders.Crisis.Team.BizSavvyCoach.5While the crisis initially energized many teams, now, they find themselves plateauing.

Many of you as leaders may not see or feel the difference because you’ve already moved on to other ideas and opportunities that energize you. And, you may have overlooked the needs of your team!

Many team members are not Type A’s like many leaders are! As a result, they need your help as their leader to be productive after the initial hype of any crisis. Regardless of your leadership style, how you handle going forward will determine if your team is engaged and energized!

5 Tips to Engage and Energize Your Team

Listen as Though They Matter. Develop the habit of recognizing where your listening skills need improvement. When you listen with intent, you will hear what your team is saying and notice the all-important non-verbal cues! Listen and ask the right questions. Now, you can be a catalyst to keep the team engaged and energized.

Your Actions Are Louder than Your Words. Non-verbal communication accounts for 80% of what people hear! With the initial crisis over, you cannot hide out during virtual meetings! When you slouch, yawn, or play with your phone, you’re indicating you are not listening and bored. This can be upsetting and demoralizing to team members. Instead, turn off electronics and other distractions. Nod, smile, and look directly into the camera when listening and speaking. This will let you team know you are engaged and expect the same from them.

Influencing Others Is More Engaging. When making decisions, instead of relying on the power of your job title and other factors, learn how to influence others. If you’re committed to engaging team members, you will provide them the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process. This requires training your team members (e.g., listening, critical thinking, brainstorming, etc.) and addressing real-life issues. While this process builds stronger, more engaged teams, remember, the final decision is yours.

Include 1:1 Meetings…They Are Also Important. Talking and providing feedback with individual team members builds trust. It also builds a stronger collective team. 1:1 meetings provide a great opportunity to learn what each and every person needs to be successful. After all, that’s what successful leadership is about…helping teams and individuals succeed!

It’s OK to Admit to a Bad Day. Self-awareness is the mark of a healthy leader and healthy team members. During this crisis (and future ones), being aware of your triggers and upsets are an important part of being an effective leader. Share your upsets appropriately by taking responsibility and communicating your actions to mitigate them. Don’t fall into the common trap of blaming others, the situation, or your boss, customer, or board. Remember, your team will listen and learn from you if you’re being authentic about the challenges you are facing.

©Jeannette Seibly 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker.  For more than 27 years, she has been an expert in guiding leaders to excel at leading by example and building trust. The new world of work has started. Are you ready?  Contact Jeannette to improve your strategic hiring, coaching, training, and managing processes.  Don’t forget to listen to her podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

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