What happens when everyone on the team starts spinning their wheels?
When suddenly it feels like nothing is moving forward?
Projects left, right and centre are stalling… incomplete or even at a standstill?
The air in the lunch room seems stifled, there is little or no vibe going on.
Everyone seems flat, despondent and dejected?
It happens.
Could the team be stuck in a bit of a rut?
Maybe it’s the weather?
Maybe it’s not and that would be a good excuse?
Although there is a lot to be said for sunshine, exercise and hydration.
Some months of the year it’s easier to do and fit in and at other times less so.
Have the team come off a big high or peak period and they’re now going through a low?
Maybe it’s because they’ve been going hard at it.
On the treadmill or simply going around and around, doing the same thing day in day out? It gets to the best of us.
Is it time to mix it up and start asking some fresh new questions of yourself, the team and the business?
Here’s a great way to get off the round-about of sameness that the day in and day out of “busy-ness” can create?
- Establish a new daily or weekly meeting routine.
Always sitting at a boardroom table? Then do the stand-up meeting.
Are meetings always lengthy and tedious? And likely too long and time-consuming? Then mix it up and do a 10 & 2 Meeting Technique.
Meet at 10am for a quick overview of the day ahead. Follow-up at 2pm to share wins/progress/check-in with who needs help. Then pitch in where help needed, roll-over tasks to the next day, delegate tasks out/celebrate progress / back to the desk.
- Start making meetings a priority
Stopped having team-meetings completely cause there are simply never enough hours in the day, or the team is virtual or never on the same time clock? Make it a priority.
Do you think a winning sports team could get away with no training together, no white-board sessions or spending half a season in different countries together (not playing together…?)
Nope, it doesn’t work. Get your team together, virtually, online, in person, over the phone, in a what’s app group.
Do what-ever it takes to get your team together.
- Prioritise Brainstorming and Contribution from the Team
Had a recent brainstorming or team building session? Probably not. Successful companies do this quarterly. It needs to be a priority so that you have an adaptable, flexible and creative team.
Ask yourselves:
1) What’s been working really well?
2) What can we do better at?
3) What needs to be done differently – a little tweak or improvement?
4) What could do with a change or complete overhaul?
- Remember the Core Drivers of Human Behaviour
Another key benefit of a brainstorming session is it meets the core drivers of human behaviour.
– They feel certainty knowing what’s going on
– They experience variety when there is some brainstorming/mix up on the norm
– They experience significance when they feel valued, important and heard
– They feel belonging when they’re connecting and experiencing a team gathering
– They need contribution when there is an opportunity to share ideas and offer suggestions
– They grow and learn when in an environment like this.
Also remember it’s rarely about the money and fortnightly paycheck when people leave businesses and organisations.
It is primarily because of two key reasons:
1) When they feel neither valued and appreciated
2) When they dislike and disagree with the leadership style or experiences
So there is so much to be said for bringing the team together, listening and in fact really hearing what is being said by team members.
If you and the team need to flick the switch, mix things up and change directions. Then change the thinking. Starting prioritising what will matter and make a HUGE difference for all the team.
Genevieve “Mixing things Up” Matthews
