Burnout. Lack of prioritization. Fatigue. Exhaustion. Feedback leaders hear from employees across organizations every day. The perfect storm of the past few years – global pandemic, social justice issues, uncertain economies – have placed us in an unprecedented time. And employees are bearing the brunt.
For years, the data has shown that the highest performing teams establish an environment of psychological safety (see: Google’s Project Aristotle). Decades of research demonstrate that when people feel psychologically fulfilled, they tend to be healthier, happier, and more productive.
Today’s workforce needs even more – they need leaders to invest in Team Resilience. Resilience is more than the continued pursuit of goals despite adversity. (It’s not just “working smarter.”) Today’s resilient teams are intentional and strategic about a few important things:
- making psychological safety an everyday practice – talk about it, react with empathy, be intentional with micro-affirmations
- paying attention to and boosting energy – use mid-meeting energy breaks, encourage working in different spaces, encourage personal energy boosters like exercise and outdoor time
- fostering care and connection with their people – Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, believes “work needs to be the community that supports you in your life”
- investing in innovative and creative work practices – create space and encourage a “learn-it-all” mindset
- rekindling the joy of working together – brainstorm about having fun as a team
Action: What’s one new norm your team can implement today to reconnect, build deeper connections and rekindle joy? How can you build that into a mindset and a set of work practices that benefit everyone?