Is your team thriving, surviving or nose-diving?
When people roll into the office every day, are they smiling or looking irritable? Chatting or complaining? Are they even showing up?
We spend most of our waking hours at work and the type of environment that we go to each day impacts our well-being. If the morale in your workplace is terrible, those negative feelings are going to seep into other aspects of your life. On the contrary, if you go to a workplace that is full of people who are energetic and engaged, that enthusiasm will naturally transfer into your personal life.
Leadership is possibly the most influential element of whether or not your team thrives.
A thriving team doesn’t result from just any kind of leadership. The key to a thriving team is a leader who cares. One who WANTS their team to flourish.
The not-so-great leaders out there should consider changing their tactics because a thriving team is a successful team and a successful team leads to a successful organization. Which, correct me if i’m wrong, is what all organizations aim to be.
You can have the best employees in the world, but if they don’t have a leader who cares, they will either leave your organization or they will follow suit and stop caring. When people stop caring they quickly shift from excited and engaged into the downward spiral of apathy.
Signs of a thriving team are people showing up with smiles on their faces. You hear laughter. There is a strong sense of camaraderie. People know each others’ kids' names and maybe even their birthdays. They ENJOY hanging out with each other. Productivity is high. People are seeking your organization as a great place of employment.
I worked with a team recently that is already thriving yet continues to provide opportunities for growth and connection. During the session there was laughter, fun, and even some tears because people were comfortable enough to show vulnerability. One participant shared that she had left a previous job to join the organization after hearing how supportive of an environment it is.
On the other hand, some signs that your team is nosediving are high turnover rates, people calling in sick frequently, the quality of work is declining, productivity is low, and people are visibly miserable, .
In a corporation I used to work for, a new manager started, changed a bunch of processes without checking in with the staff, and constantly micromanaged a team of four who worked in the field. Within the first year of this new manager taking over, ALL FOUR had left, some taking substantially lower paying jobs just to get away from that manager. That actually blows my mind. The ripple effect of those actions are huge. The high stress levels people must have experienced to get to the point of leaving their jobs in that manner, the impact on the general public not having the team available to provide their services, never mind the financial burden of replacing and training an entire team.
Surviving lands somewhere in the middle, where people show up but you know that they can be happier or doing better. Work is getting done, but nothing beyond minimum. The team energy level is mediocre and connections rarely go beyond surface level.
I had a boss who did not trust the staff. He was suspicious when people called in sick, notoriously impatient and liked to yell. Morale in the office was low, and people walked on eggshells because you were never sure what mood the boss would be in from day to day. People still showed up but they weren’t happy while they were there.
Why not put in a little bit of effort to show your team you care and they will actually start showing up, sticking around, and doing a great job for you.
Before you make changes that impact other people, get their input.
Be a friendly human. Take the time to say good morning. Keep your door open. Learn about the people who work for (and with) you.
Become intentional about what you want your workplace to look like. How you want to feel at work, and how you want your team to feel. (hint - it is not mistrusted)
Have a staff check-in that is just about checking-in, not performance review. Email me at hello@deannegagnondynamics.com for a free check-in meeting template.
Bring someone in to help. An outside, neutral party will bring a fresh perspective and introduce tools to help the team move towards thriving. Workshops can be as short as one hour for the time constrained team, or we can take a full day or two and create a solid improvement plan for your workplace culture.
Skip to the end?
Thriving teams show up smiling.
Surviving teams show up begrudgingly
Nosediving teams do not show up at all.
What do you think - Is your organization thriving, surviving, or nosediving?
Ready to help your team soar? Book a meeting to see how I can help!
