Re-Energize Exhausted Staff

CU360
January 8, 2010 | COMMENTS

The recession has affected more than accounts and bottom lines—it has also had a big impact on employees' morale and attitudes, says Jon Gordon, author of “The Shark and the Goldfish: Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change.”

“When fear and uncertainty become staples of daily work life, it leads to a lack of trust, decreased productivity, poor focus, uninspired teamwork, and sub-par performance,” says Gordon. “As a leader, though, you do have the power to take positive actions that will inspire your team to not just survive, but to thrive.”

To make sure negativity and burnout don't cause your team to mentally check out, Gordon suggests nine steps to boost employee morale and engagement:

1. Focus on people, not numbers. True, there are a lot of numbers to worry about—investments, earnings, and capital levels—and it's easy to fixate on those figures.

“It's important to remember that it's not numbers that drive people, but the people that drive numbers,” Gordon notes. “Too often, worried leaders approach this relationship backwards. This is not a time to ignore your people. Place your attention on them and on the process. Remember, culture drives behavior, behavior drives habits, and habits drive results.”

2. Model good behavior. Leaders set the tone for how employees respond to almost every situation. They can inspire—or they can extinguish. If you greet employees cheerfully, for example, even though they've had to come into work early, they're likely to mirror that attitude. Whatever you expect from your people, you must also expect from your senior leadership.

3. Practice positive leadership. This means remaining purposeful in the face of adversity. While it's important to acknowledge the obstacles your organization faces, don't dwell on them in meetings or in individual conversations, and don't bring up bad news before pointing out one or two things that are going well.

Don't be disappointed by where you are. Focus on where you're going.

4. Fill the void. These are uncertain times. Employees are questioning how their industries and jobs will be affected by the economy. They're unsure about what actions to take.

This uncertainly creates a void. And where there's a void, negativity tends to fill it. In the absence of clear and positive communication, people start to assume the worst, and they'll act accordingly.

Leaders must meet with employees and continually communicate. You must be seen and heard—and you must also hear and see. If you fill the void with positive communication, negativity and fear can't breed and grow.

5. Eliminate ‘energy vampires.' “Energy vampires” suck the energy and life out of everyone around them. Their presence can have a highly detrimental effect on the team's morale, confidence, and performance.

Identify and approach these people and give them a chance to share in and own a positive vision. If they refuse, let them go. It's better to be temporarily short-staffed than to have someone ‘poisoning the well.'

6. Challenge complaining. Create a simple rule: Employees can't complain unless they also offer solutions. Turning employees from problem-sharers to problem-solvers will create a positive atmosphere that leads to new ideas, innovation, and success.

7. Teach staff to be heroes, not victims. Both heroes and victims get knocked down. But heroes get back up. Help employees realize they're not victims of circumstance. Instead, they have significant influence over how things turn out.

8. Focus on the small wins. Place your attention on the small, ordinary, unspectacular wins that add up to big successes. Small wins create the confidence to go after and create big wins.

9. Place ‘sharks' in key positions. Figure out which employees are “sharks” (those who are driven and motivated) and which ones are “goldfish” (those who are natural relationship managers).

“Your sharks are the people you need in sales or business-development positions,” Gordon suggests. “Your goldfish, or relationship managers, are better suited to answer phones, take orders, and cultivate customer goodwill. Put your people in the right positions and let them do what they do best.”