This is a tricky time for leaders. As we finally start to move on from the pandemic, we have a lot to catch up on—but we also don’t want to overload our teams with too much work after such a difficult time. In her June 14 “Your Best Next Move” video, Bobbie LaPorte shares a tip to help you provide a sense of progress, meaning and purpose while motivating your team to work together toward an achievable goal.
TRANSCRIPT OF “YOUR BEST NEXT MOVE: FINDING THE RIGHT POST-COVID BALANCE”
Hi, everyone. Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly tips for “Your Best Next Move,” where I help you have more agency in your work, acknowledge your capacity to act, and see what you can do right now.
I’ve been talking with a number of leaders over the last few weeks about their challenges keeping their teams focused and productive coming out of the pandemic. We’re almost to the finish line, but not quite.
And now many managers face a real dilemma as we enter this period of uncertainty: How hard should I push my team right now? With the end of the pandemic in sight, we can see business challenges that need to be addressed. Things that may have been put on hold during the last year, as well as opportunities to take advantage of, will be all too tempting to overload your team by attacking on all fronts at once.
Some of you may feel just the opposite, that you want to ease up to give your team a break and let them catch their breath after this last long year.
Both approaches are problematic, and here’s why. Taking on too much at this particular juncture can lead to overload and a sense of futility that can lead eventually to burnout. But on the other hand, if your team is merely maintaining what they’re doing, just responding and playing defense, they won’t feel a sense of progress. And if this persists again, they’ll have feelings of meaninglessness and futility.
So what do you do?
One way to address this dilemma is to find the spot in the middle, and that means eliminating the far extremes of what you’re doing in terms of your business strategy. So resist the extreme of trying to accomplish everything you want to do, even if you think it’s possible. But also resist the extreme of just treading water. Given the increase in uncertainty in our lives over the last year, the last thing we need now is too little direction or too many objectives. Get clear on one meaningful and achievable objective for your team in addition to what they’re doing every day.
So how do you find that one important goal for your team?
Here’s my tip:
When you talk to your team, take a moment to acknowledge the craziness, the anxiety, and all the pressure of the last year. Recognize that we’ve all been whipped around. Then start a conversation around this question: If every part of our operation except one stayed where it was today, what is the one area we need most to improve as you move forward during this time of transition and uncertainty?
The answer is the same now as it was pre-COVID. You must offer your team a sense of progress, meaning and purpose, remove ambiguity, and propel them forward to move towards the next most important achievable goal.
I want 2021 to be a year momentum for you…one of possibility thinking, where you take advantage of the agency we sometimes forget we have. That’s my tip for this week. Take care of yourself. Have a great week, and I’ll see you next Monday.