There’s plenty of speculation in the COVID era when it comes to low team engagement, unproductiveness, and little to no enthusiasm. Many leaders chalk it up to pandemic burnout, but there are deeper problems to consider (and they were probably prevalent before the pandemic).
Reasons why your team isn’t levelling up:
Lack of communication. Your team doesn’t have a proper protocol in place to relay information on projects and communicate their needs efficiently.
Unchecked management. As hard as it may be to face, your poor leadership skills or the generally poor culture your management team may convey is the reason your team members feel deflated and unenthusiastic at work.
Lack of individual incentive. Simply put, teams are made up of individuals, with their own take on the ideal workplace and career milestones they want to hit. You may not have taken their individual needs into consideration as a leader.
Poor routines. If your team is still working remotely, or even adjusting back to in-office work, aligning team working times and getting back on track with projects is one of the last areas tackled.
As a manager, leader, or business owner, it’s up to you to lead the culture, productivity, and engagement behind your team. Let’s break down the solutions to the above four engagement challenges.
Establish communication preferences. Sit down with each of your team members and ask them what their preferred method communication is. Whether it’s email, text, daily check-ins, or weekly meetings, and find what works best for them. They are going to be more likely to engage with you and the team if their preferred method of communication is utilized.
Check yourself. It’s hard to look inward and realize you may be an obstacle when it comes to your team’s productivity and engagement. It’s worth sitting down with your team members and asking for their feedback on your leadership skills with milestones in place so you can gain their trust and respect. Building relationships and contributing to the bottom line goes both ways.
Incentivizing individuals. As much as your team should be working toward collective goals, your team members are also individuals that have their own career milestones they want to hit. Whether it’s a promotion, flexible work environment, or a raise, establish goals for them to work towards their career milestones that align with business goals and you’ll see the spark re-ignited in everyone.
Regulating routines with chronographs. Build on the idea that your team is comprised of individuals. These individuals have different peak times of productivity (a.k.a chronographs) and individually optimal working environment. Set your team up for success by encouraging them to work on major projects during their most productive times of day and support habit building by offering individually-optimal work environments.
For more knowledge management and engagement tips, download our full bundle of how-to guides here: bluejarvis.com/knowledge