4 Practices Guaranteed to Energize Tired Teams
We begin new jobs with enthusiasm. But repetition leads to boredom. Lousy bosses make work miserable. Constant pressure causes burnout.
Successful leaders energize teams.
4 ways to energize tired teams:
#1. Establish direction that matters to each team member.
- Can everyone describe what rowing-with looks like?
- Point out anyone who is rowing sideways. Do this in private. Explain what rowing-with looks like.
- Understand each team member’s reason for caring about the team’s direction. Why does this matter to you?
Rowing together energizes teams. But people can’t row together when they don’t know where they’re going.
#2. Assure that contributions have meaningful impact.
Insignificant activities make people feel frustrated, drained, and powerless.
- Describe how each team member’s strengths contribute to the greater good. (This assumes you can list the top three strengths of every person on the team.)
- Make sure that everyone on the team does what they LOVE at least 20% of the time. (Work you love is work you can’t wait to do.)
- Protect everyone from spending more than 20% of their time doing work they dislike.
- How are you honoring the contribution of each team member?
#3. Encourage everyone to dance on the outer fringes of their strengths. (Part of every day.)
- How are team members feeling challenged?
- What new activities is each team member engaging in today?
- When are you talking about the things people are learning?
- How are you making it safe for people to try new things?
- Tell people what you’re learning from failure.
- Congratulate responsible failure.
#4. Notice high energy.
One thing that transforms the leaders I coach is feedback about their energy. I mention drooping shoulders and downward stares. But more importantly, I tell them when their eyes light up.
High energy is the result of understanding and respecting what makes people feel alive.
How can leaders fuel energy in the individuals on their teams?
What makes you light up?
#5 Sometimes they just need rest.
Thanks Robb. Take a break! One habit to break is moving from one task to another without a small break. Walk around the block. Get a cup of coffee and chat in the coffee room. Do something to create an ending point and a point of new beginning instead of just rushing from one thing to another.
Perhaps you meant something longer. In either case, sometimes we are lousy at taking breaks.
If they are truly tired and burned out, your four steps will not make any difference until they recover and are refreshed. Send them home for a long weekend – take them on a ropes course. Do something different to flush out the worn and weary. Then start on #1.
I hear you saying that doing more probably won’t help someone who is burned out. I suggest that doing differently might be useful.
The other area I like to explore when leaders are burned out is how they have lost themselves to work. Busyness can lead to mindless activity. Getting in touch with who we are sometimes helps people recover and learn to focus their work on things that matter most to them.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!!!!
🙂
Dan,
I think you hit the nail on the head with the break description response to Robb, I know we had this discussion in an earlier post. Get up walk away, get fresh air, relocate our train of thought to a special place, music, etc.
We have to learn to prevent overloads in our own system, everyone is different! Find your sweet spot and tweak it your way!
Thanks Tim. It’s just so easy to rush from one thing to the next. At the end of the day we wonder what the heck happened. 🙂
It’s impressive that you remember. I can’t remember what I wrote about yesterday.
Dan,
Probably because I practice what I preach and that day we connected or say enhanced my habits. 🙂
How can leaders fuel energy in the individuals on their teams? Top leadership need to stop being reactive when targets/goal posts are not met, this creates stress. Train top management how to deal with change rather than reacting to it.
Thanks Gerry. Wonderful observation. There’s a difference between responding and reacting. Reaction neglects the big picture and exaggerates the immediate. Responding includes exploring options, thinking long-term, and listening. Thanks for dropping in.
Robb,
Another great posting. It is another example of how the simple things have huge impacts.