Every manager wants to work with a team that is very productive and totally committed to
the success of their project and the organisation. However, some managers underestimate
the role they play in creating such a team
One of the key qualities of a highly productive team is its “high morale”. Hence, keeping the
team’s morale high must be at the top of every manager’s agenda.
There are one-off events that temporarily boost the morale of some of the employees, such as spot bonuses, but they are short-lived. So, keeping the entire team’s morale high is a process and not an event.
There are many things a manager can and must do to keep the morale high, but in this blog I would like to focus on the following three. In my opinion, every manager must do these on a daily basis to keep the morale high within their teams:
- The manager must look out for, notice and tell their staff about the jobs or tasks that staff members or the team executed very well.
- The manager must master the art of listening, and pay special attention to team member’s ideas, concerns, and opinions. Staff want their ideas to be heard and taken seriously. Listening enhances the respect the staff have for their managers.
- That said, it is not enough just to listen to the team members; managers must also show their appreciation. Appreciation is one of the biggest motivators for teams. If you don’t express your appreciation, your staff will resent you for it.
So, here is a question for you. How would you show your appreciation in an ongoing basis?
What Do the Researches Show?
We have all heard that “employees leave managers, not companies”. It is true. Researches show that staff’s commitment to their jobs is heavily influenced by the way they are treated by their managers.
Many of us are probably too familiar with managers that talk at their staff (rather than listen to them) and show very little appreciation of a job well done. Unfortunately, these types of managers are the cause of thousands of hours of lost productivity.
Food for Thought
Below are some things to consider:
- Be genuine in wanting to know your team members.
- Take your lunch breaks with your team in order to have a chat about their interests.
- Sit with them at their desks on occasions to see how they are doing.
- Take the time to build relationships with your staff. Employees want the management to know who they are and what is going on with their jobs.
- Be truly supportive of your team members.
- See if there are any issues that you can help with. Employees want to know that their bosses are there to help them when needed.
- Be mindful of their development needs.
- Give them an opportunity to shine.
- Offer mentoring programs.
- Give awards and publicly recognise exceptional work.
- You must do this with total sincerity.
- Generally, most employees (if not all) want recognition and acknowledgment that their work has been appreciated. Always acknowledge when someone has done good work.
- You may also benefit from the increased performance of others who also want recognition.
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