Four Stages to Help Your Team Maintain High Morale and Momentum
Low morale is like a slow moving and destructive disease. You function in denial and keep moving forward but the pace is slow and lethargic. People grumble and hangout in the shadows.
High morale is energizing and contagious. You address challenges aggressively and courageously; the pace is fast, not hurried. There is a purpose and pursuit that is all about teamwork and success.
Here are four small things leaders do to create high morale and momentum:
1. Keep the team laser-focused and on course
High morale leads to daily wins – and daily wins maintain high morale. That’s why keeping your team focused on the “main thing” (whatever that is for your organization) is crucial.
When you lose focus on the “main things”, you stop winning. Start by making a list of your teams “main things” such as core essentials and the fundamentals of success, create targets for wins, and focus on MVP (most valuable and profitable) relationships and actions that create wins.
2. Communicate what success looks like
Everyone should know how you and your team define success. A few years ago, I worked with a team who had a big target in a conference room that was used to symbolize their goals. Within each circle of the target was a metric of success. There was no doubt or confusion as to what success looked like… everyday they discussed this target and what needed to take place to reach each goal.
3. Remove low-morale team members
Once the team is rolling in the right direction, keep it rolling. If someone is disrupting morale and not on board, move them out!
Momentum is a leaders’ (and teams) best friend. You must protect your team from anyone who is holding them back or disrupting positive energy and forward momentum.
4. Build leaders at every level
Everything rises and falls on leadership. As you invest and grow leaders at every level, you will create exponential growth and momentum. Morale will rise as a leadership influence, and impact is not reserved for a few, but all.
Remember, some of the best leaders are in the middle of an organization – acknowledge them, celebrate them, and release them to flourish.
I encourage you to focus on your team and you’ll discover new levels of morale and momentum. Learn more about my program, Breakthrough Teams here!
Here’s to Building Breakthrough Teams!
– Steve
As a master storyteller, Steve has unparalleled ability to communicate dynamic business and leadership truths through stories, anecdotes and humor. Harness the power of the “number one” predictor of professional success, impact, leadership, high performance and sustainable relationships in business and life. Steve’s highest rated keynote presentation.
To book Steve today, contact Michelle Joyce!
(For information on keynote presentations, team workshops, and one on one coaching.)
“The purpose of Leadership Quest is to help professionals develop their personal leadership, vision and emotional intelligence. Everyday I strive to help leaders and teams achieve their desired goals in sales productivity, leadership, time maximization, and life-balance. ”
About the Author
Steve Gutzler is the President of Leadership Quest, a Seattle-based leadership development company. Steve is a dynamic, highly-sought-after speaker who has delivered more than 2,500 presentations to a list of clients including Microsoft, Starbucks, the Seattle Seahawks, Pandora Radio, Boeing, Cisco, Starwood Corporation, the Ritz Carlton group, and the U.S. Social Security Administration. He recently was voted #1 by the readership of Huffington Post as the Most Inspirational Leader on Social Media.
A published author on leadership and emotional intelligence, Steve resides near Seattle with his wife Julie where they enjoy time with their three adult children and six grandchildren.
