It’s so easy for leaders to get comfortable, especially when they have built a set of incredible team members within their organization. Other leaders struggle because it seems like they spinning their wheels, making little or no progress, or even losing ground as a team.
Regardless of whether or not your team is thriving, or barely surviving, there are some things that every team member needs to hear from their boss on a consistent basis. Much of the failure or success of your group can be traced straight back to YOU, and whether or not you spoke these truths out loud to your co-workers.
- I LOVE IT WHEN YOU TAKE A RISK! Your team members need to understand and believe that you trust them to stretch the limits to achieve greater results. From time to time, they will take those risks and fail. It’s all a part of the process. Other times those risks will reap powerful rewards. Either way, they need to know they have your support, trust and confidence.
- YOU BRING SOMETHING UNIQUE AND SPECIAL TO THIS TEAM! If every team member is identical to the others, then your organization is destined to be boring, mediocre and if you’re lucky, average. When a team is made up of people with different personality types, styles of work, different levels of education and talent, and a million other ways to express their uniqueness, then that’s the kind of team that makes a difference in it’s industry and the world. Highlight those exciting and different qualities in each of your team members. Brag about what a difference it makes having them in the mix.
- YOUR ATTITUDE IS CONTAGIOUS, WHETHER YOU WANT IT TO BE OR NOT! As much as most of us would like to believe that no one has the power to influence our attitude or behavior, the facts and our own life history prove otherwise. Put a very negative person into the group and they will nearly always pull the vibe down. Add an optimistic, upbeat person to the team, and they have a way of bringing everyone up a little with them. Remind your team members that a positive attitude isn’t a luxury, but rather a necessity for your team to succeed.
- ASK FOR INPUT WHEN YOU NEED IT! What is it about our prideful natures that prevent us from asking others for their help or their opinion? Are we concerned they will make us fail bigger? Or are we selfishly worried they may want to take part of the credit when we succeed? Whatever the reason, we need to encourage people to put their pride/fear/insecurities aside, and invite others to be a part of the dreaming and doing of life with them. Life is a rich and beautiful mosaic of ideas, actions and experiences when we’re brave enough to let others join us with their own.
- BELIEVE IN YOURSELF LIKE I BELIEVE IN YOU! This very easily could be the greatest gift you could ever pass on to your team members. Don’t believe me? Take an impromptu poll of your workers from time to time, and ask them, “What percentage of your bosses or supervisors in the past did you actually feel believed in you and your success?” You might be stunned at the lack of support. In a recent Forbes article, it states “Recognition is the number one thing employees say their manager could give them to inspire them to produce great work. Global studies prove that when it comes to inspiring people to be their best at work, nothing else comes close—not even higher pay, promotion, autonomy or training.”
- BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT BUILDING UP OTHER TEAM MEMBERS! It’s a given that you as the leader ought to be the driving force behind the development of your team members. But if you are the only one on the team intentionally pouring into the growth and nurturing of others, then the impact on the organization will be slow and very limited. You impact the team exponentially as you challenge and train them to be encouragers and motivators. Lead the way both in motivating each person to grow, but also in reminding them of their responsibility to pass that encouragement on to others in the group.
- KEEP LEARNING! #THISMATTERS. When people on the team feel like they know it all, they cease to make any kind of consistent, meaningful contribution to the company. When they refuse to grow and learn because they simply aren’t interested in doing so, it may be time for them to move along. Remind each team member that every one of us is on a journey of constant learning and growing. Companies change. Circumstances evolve. Memberships vary. Above all, life is consistently about change. That requires us to change with it, and we do that by learning.
Make it a priority in the coming days to speak life into the members of your organization. Lead by voice. Lead by example. Lead by conversation and connection. Just go lead!