You take over a team for the first time, and despite being very excited about your promotion and this new opportunity, you can’t help be feel a little dread. Why? Because morale is seriously low on your new team.
Major upheaval, layoffs, the previous manager or other negative factors have your employees feeling low, unmotivated, and maybe a little resentful. That is killing their productivity and the quality of their work. Furthermore, if morale remains low, you may not hit your goals this year, and that is no way to start off your new role as a leader.
Don’t ignore low morale or simply hope things will improve “over time.” Instead, take action to improve morale, starting now. Here are six strategies that will help you do just that:
Define it first
When you say you want “better morale” what do you really mean? Typically people can’t define or describe “better morale” in terms of behaviors very well. When I ask this question to participants of my workshops, I often hear versions of “You know what I mean” or “I’ll know it when I see it.” Those vague descriptions won’t do if you are serious about creating a working environment that is supportive and positive and that helps people succeed. If you are serious about improving morale, start by getting crystal clear on exactly what you mean.
Seek input from others
Reach out to others, including fellow managers, HR or your boss, to gain insight on the current level of morale and how it’s impacting work results. Additionally, ask them for feedback on what could and should change, and what ideal morale levels would look like.
Also, don’t shy away from asking your new team to weigh in. Hold direct and honest conversations with each person individually to talk about his or her state of mind and what changes need to happen to make each person feel engaged and excited about work again. Then pull your team together to talk about what you can do to improve the overall morale of the team. Showing employees that you care about their feelings is the first step to raising morale.
Make it an expectation
Let employees know that you both want and expect to see changes in employees’ attitude and behavior, and ask them to commit to improving. Explain your plan to make positive changes, but hold them accountable for being optimistic, cooperative and enthusiastic as you work through the transition. Attitude is everything, especially during change, and employees must play their part.
Appreciate and reward it
Acknowledge positive behavior, and let employees see that you care when their attitude and behavior supports and leads to increased morale. Your appreciation reinforces the positive behaviors, which encourages employees to keep up the good work and other employees to follow suit. At the same time, the simple act of recognizing employees’ efforts boosts their motivation and morale.
Make it a long-term goal
If morale and attitude are important in your organization, you can’t have a short-term focus. Morale won’t be fixed overnight or with a single event. Does your attitude change from day to day (hour to hour)? Is your outlook clouded by events, positive or negative? You know you won’t “fix” your personal attitude and morale with a single event or a short-term focus, why would your organization be any different? Make boosting and retaining morale part of your long-term plan.
Live it yourself
If the morale or attitude you want in your working environment isn’t present, you need to look in the mirror. Are you leading by example? Are you portraying the attitude you wish to see on your team and in your working environment? While I have listed this strategy last, it should be both the first and last thing on this list. Gandhi said “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Are you a living example of the morale you want to see? Are you living it every day?
What advice can you offer fellow leaders who have taken over a team whose morale has bottomed out? Share your insight in the comments section below.
0 comments