Post by John Uliano on Jun 16, 2021 13:36:03 GMT
“The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned. When you hear a lot of talk about it, it’s usually lousy.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Despite the use of Ike’s wise words, morale is not a fancy quote. Rather, morale is best explained (and exemplified) through an individual’s actions. I believe that I have always led from a place that supports the morale of my staff, although I know that this had not always been the case. As I reflect on what I feel has boosted my teams’ morale, the following 3 areas come to mind, and are worthy of revisiting when questioning whether I am a proponent of good team morale.
Communication
Clear and consistent communication regarding the good, the bad, and the ugly can keep your team focused and on track. When running a program that was performance-based with multiple KPIs, I would communicate out to my team on a near daily basis our performance related to at least one of our milestones. This allowed me to specifically target areas where we were succeeding, as well as those where we were falling short, and kept my staff informed of expectations, which I have found can improve a team’s morale. Also, ongoing and timely communication can limit the need for those “ugly” conversations, which can be a morale suck.
Reward/Recognize/Celebrate
I have found that acknowledging staff can a go long way to increasing a team’s morale and loyalty, as it shows that you as a leader personally value your staff members’ contributions. Acknowledgement can take many forms and don’t necessarily have to “break the bank” – small end of the year gifts, team lunches, birthdays and potlucks, a simple shout out over email for a job well done – are all examples of things I have done as a leader to reward my teams. In one instance, we were able to financially reward staff with gift cards as an incentive, which serves to show that you can be creative with ways in which you can celebrate.
Get Personal (at least a little bit…)
Ask your staff about themselves. What are their goals professionally and personally? Where do they see themselves in 5 years? Do they have kids? What is their astrological sign? Ok, that last one was a joke, and you do want to maintain boundaries with your team and seriously consider the personal questions you want to ask but having a more informed idea of what’s important to a staff member not only builds a connection that can foster loyalty, but the personal attention you provide sustains morale. I would always make a point during supervision to check in with my staff members’ future plans and professional development, which is a direct way to exhibit that you care about your staff members’ growth.
Boosting morale is an important skill of any leader. I have found that the above methods are simple and easy ways to support the “best morale,” as asserted by our 34th president.
Despite the use of Ike’s wise words, morale is not a fancy quote. Rather, morale is best explained (and exemplified) through an individual’s actions. I believe that I have always led from a place that supports the morale of my staff, although I know that this had not always been the case. As I reflect on what I feel has boosted my teams’ morale, the following 3 areas come to mind, and are worthy of revisiting when questioning whether I am a proponent of good team morale.
Communication
Clear and consistent communication regarding the good, the bad, and the ugly can keep your team focused and on track. When running a program that was performance-based with multiple KPIs, I would communicate out to my team on a near daily basis our performance related to at least one of our milestones. This allowed me to specifically target areas where we were succeeding, as well as those where we were falling short, and kept my staff informed of expectations, which I have found can improve a team’s morale. Also, ongoing and timely communication can limit the need for those “ugly” conversations, which can be a morale suck.
Reward/Recognize/Celebrate
I have found that acknowledging staff can a go long way to increasing a team’s morale and loyalty, as it shows that you as a leader personally value your staff members’ contributions. Acknowledgement can take many forms and don’t necessarily have to “break the bank” – small end of the year gifts, team lunches, birthdays and potlucks, a simple shout out over email for a job well done – are all examples of things I have done as a leader to reward my teams. In one instance, we were able to financially reward staff with gift cards as an incentive, which serves to show that you can be creative with ways in which you can celebrate.
Get Personal (at least a little bit…)
Ask your staff about themselves. What are their goals professionally and personally? Where do they see themselves in 5 years? Do they have kids? What is their astrological sign? Ok, that last one was a joke, and you do want to maintain boundaries with your team and seriously consider the personal questions you want to ask but having a more informed idea of what’s important to a staff member not only builds a connection that can foster loyalty, but the personal attention you provide sustains morale. I would always make a point during supervision to check in with my staff members’ future plans and professional development, which is a direct way to exhibit that you care about your staff members’ growth.
Boosting morale is an important skill of any leader. I have found that the above methods are simple and easy ways to support the “best morale,” as asserted by our 34th president.
