5 Great Ways to Ignite Your Team’s Energy

By: Alex Sebuliba

There are always periods when, as a manager, you might feel that your team members aren’t as productive as they could be, when their morale seems a little low or when they don’t seem as fully engaged with their work as you would like them to be. This can lead to them leaving the company if the situation becomes really bad, which costs the company both money and time spent either hiring a replacement or training a current employee to replace them.

There could be any number of reasons for a slump, but as manager you need to be able to bring your team out of it and get them firing on all cylinders again. If this isn’t one of your strengths or something that comes naturally to you, then there are a variety of things you can do to give things a jumpstart with the aim of improving things in the long-term.

Celebrate the wins

When something goes well and a client is happy or impressed with the work of an individual or the team as a whole, recognise and celebrate it. You don’t have to go overboard (not least because the effect will diminish the more you do so), but the energy and positive buzz that is created when something goes well is infectious and has a significant effect on the work and emotional state of the team.

Play to strengths

No team is going to be happy working outside their comfort zone – even if they are trying to develop themselves and learn new things, they have to feel confident and capable in their daily roles rather than worried and uncomfortable.

As manager, ensure that each team member’s day-to-day tasks are ones that they are comfortable with so they are happy coming into work and their passion for what they’re doing increases. The positive energy of the team in general will then improve.

Communicate constantly

Communication is one of the most important aspects of any team, not just in terms of them talking to each other but receiving information and feedback from senior management. Keeping a team deliberately or unconsciously in the dark about developments in the company’s relationship with a client, within the company or even in their department can be extremely damaging.

Keeping them in the loop (and inviting their opinions on particular subjects), however, makes them feel involved and valued and promotes “one shared vision” for the company.

Take an interest

Engagement is a key factor as far as the productivity of a team is concerned – if an individual doesn’t think that they are considered to be an important part of the organisation, the quality of their work will probably deteriorate and they will ultimately leave for somewhere that does value them.

Managers should therefore take an appropriate level of interest in their personal and professional development in order to increase their sense of importance and help to reinforce the fact that the company is the best place for them to work.

Limit unnecessary meetings

Nothing saps the strength and energy of a team than having boring meeting after boring meeting where very little of merit is said and few decisions are made. A lot of the communication that goes on in meetings can be achieved via email or individual face-to-face conversations – what’s the point in wasting time every week sitting around a table not getting anything done and watching productivity levels slide?

Additionally, if you’re half falling asleep in meetings that you don’t really need to be at, then your physical and mental energy is going to be down for the rest of the day. Cut out unnecessary meetings and keep conversation and communication clean and efficient for a more energised, proactive team.

By Alex Sebuliba

Main image: Business team with hands together from Shutterstock.com