Your bottom line is better than ever, but team morale is low. Your coworkers have lost their zeal and do the minimum required of them. The team isn’t communicating very well, and everyone’s on edge.
Your mind jumps to spending money on a leadership training program, books about teamwork, a better project management system, or a new hire for team building.
Not so fast.
Before you spend more money, try these 6 ways to boost morale and improve efficiency on your team. The best part? They cost you nothing.
1. Learn to love healthy conflict.
No one likes conflict… until you learn how to have healthy conflict. It’s essential if your team wants to make progress.
In other words, conflict-avoidant teams don’t make progress.
The first way to boost morale is to learn to model healthy conflict with team members. One mark of a teammate who’s mastered healthy conflict is the understanding that you could be wrong. In Business Made Simple, Donald Miller wrote, “Conflict increases when individuals hold their own ideas as precious. Always remember the point of conflict is progress, not proving you are right” (emphasis ours).
Healthy conflict requires humility, prioritizes understanding, and aims for progress — not drama!
2. Recognize the good work people do.
It’s easy to criticize. But when’s the last time you recognized the good work your team accomplished?
When someone rarely gives positive feedback, you’re not very motivated to work hard or go out of your way for them because you think you’ll never do enough to win their praise.
Coworkers take note when you praise them for their efforts. Your team will work harder when you recognize what they get right — not just what they get wrong.
When you have to confront them about a mistake, assure them you’re offering constructive criticism for both their benefit and the team’s.
3. Make sure people know their job description.
You might be thinking, “Well, duh. That’s a no-brainer.” You’d be surprised how many employees feel they don’t know exactly what their responsibilities are. When they apply to join your team, a job description also doesn’t capture the day-to-day tasks and processes your business will require.
Do team members really know what you’re expecting? If they don’t, they’re frazzled because they’re in the dark, and you’re frustrated because you’re not getting what you need from them.
Communication is key.
You can boost your team’s morale by making sure every team member knows your expectations.
4. Step up to the plate when you see a need.
We know, we know. We just told you to communicate your expectations so your team members can do their job, right?
Yes, but we all still need help from time to time.
It’s easy to notice a need and say, “That’s their responsibility — not mine.”
But a team member might be overwhelmed or have extenuating circumstances you don’t know about. Increase morale by filling a gap or meeting a need. Your team members will thank you and likely return the favor.
5. Recommend changes to streamline processes.
Usually, you don’t see the bumps in your business processes until someone brings it to your attention.
You might feel awkward speaking up when you notice a kink in your team’s workflow that’s slowing overall communication or productivity.
Do it anyway.
Be the employee who recommends changes to make your team’s workflow more streamlined and efficient. You and your team can’t fix what you don’t know. Create a culture where feedback is welcome.
6. Work on your biggest projects at the beginning of the day.
This might sound counterintuitive if your team spends its first hours of the day doing menial tasks. But you actually have the most “brain power” at the beginning of the day.
In Business Made Simple, Miller wrote, “If you take a call or start responding to random emails before starting on your most pressing project, you’re giving valuable mental energy to low-return opportunities and likely wasting the most valuable hours of your day.”
What opportunities 1) require the most energy and 2) have the highest return?
Start with these tasks every day, and encourage your team members to do the same.
These practices make us more efficient at Sigl Creative, and we’re certain they’ll work for you too. If you need to boost your digital marketing, we’re here to help. Let us take marketing off of your hands so you can focus on building a strong, healthy team. Schedule a call today, and let’s create a digital marketing strategy for your business.