Are you having trouble motivating your team and increasing productivity? You may have been neglecting your team’s needs. Leaders today know that caring for your team is key to enabling each member of the team to grow, thrive, and be more engaged at work. Companies like Carrot.is and Hubspot are successful because they have created a culture that values team happiness and focuses on it.
Even if you can’t afford to have your team meet up at Hawaii, there are still ways to keep them in top shape. Here are nine great strategies you can use:
1. Rearrange your workspace.
Fraser Callaway, cofounder of Refold, says that sitting is being called the new smoking. Instead of letting your team members spend eight hours in a static workspace, encourage interaction and collaboration by redesigning the workspace. You can add standing desks, wallpaper the walls, or new furniture to your office.
2. Encourage healthy eating habits and regular water intake
Although it sounds easy, office workers often forget about their health while working. They become inefficient and sluggish as a result. Encourage healthy eating by encouraging regular water intake, nutritious snacks, and energy-boosting meals.
3. Take essential breaks.
Are you stuck with a problem? Are you stymied by too many ideas? Art Markman recommends taking “productive pauses” in order to reset the mind and give insight from a new perspective. Essential breaks can help prevent burnout and creative stress, which could hinder productivity flow.
4. Take your team on a retreat.
Although remote team leadership has its economic advantages, in-person meetings foster healthy interaction and better relationships between team members. Make time for team retreats, where you can interact with all members on the same level.
5. Offer learning opportunities.
Innovation is all about being open to learning. Your team should have access to or passes to online courses that can help them improve their skills. It may not have occurred to you, but the simple, inspiring TEDx video that you shared last week could have made all of the difference.
6. Participate in both local and national conferences
99U Conference 2015 and The Instigator Experience are just a few of the many events and conferences you can attend to build your network and expand your knowledge about your industry. These conferences offer great opportunities for your team to network, inspire, motivate, and work together to improve their performance.
7. Schedule time for one-on-1 sessions.
True leaders work hand-in-hand alongside their team. This means understanding their needs, their opinions, understanding their concerns and then taking action. One-on-one sessions are a great way to get to know your team. Whether it’s at work or over coffee, make sure you are listening to and understanding your team members.
8. Show compassion in times of need
You may want everything to go according to plan, but that’s not how life works. Any time, problems and emergencies can arise. This can impact the ability of your team to concentrate on their work. Show compassion and understanding in times of trouble by allowing your team members to make the adjustments necessary to get back on track.
9. For creative side projects, open the floor.
Side projects offer endless creative possibilities. Side projects can also increase work performance, creativity, and team engagement.
