With all the stops-and-starts we’ve faced over the last few years, it can be hard to motivate your team to dig in on any long-term projects. But it’s time to stop thinking and start doing. In her February 27 “It’s Race Day” video, Bobbie LaPorte shares three simple steps you can take to engage your team—and get them excited about the work they’re doing.
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Download File: https://www.bobbielaporte.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GMT20230226-170505_Recording_640x360-1.mp4?_=1Transcript: It’s Race Day: Engage Your Team in Work That is Critical to the Organization that Would Truly Excite Them
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly leadership tips for 2023 called “It’s Race Day”, where I help you close the gap between thinking and doing. There’s a time to train and a time to race.
I am sure many of you are worn out and unsure from the last 3+ years of start-stop-start again on key projects that are important to your team. And for many leaders, this is heightened now when people are feeling unsure of their positions; they are thinking – can or should they commit to long-term projects; and maybe keeping a low-profile and doing low-risk work is a safer option.
It is completely understandable that your team might feel that way – but that is exactly the opposite of what you need them to do right now.
How do you engage your team in work that is critical to the organization that would truly excite them?
Consider these three steps to engage your team:
- Line out some of the more significant projects that remain unfinished or are languishing on your long list of “To Dos.” Break them down into smaller, more manageable sets of work, or scale them down from what you had originally planned. Maybe not as ambitious as what you would like, but see what you can spin up that would be far better than waiting for everything to feel right.
- Be very clear about how this work supports the broader company goals, particularly those that serve the evolving needs of the org over the next 12-18 months during these times of change. It’s important that your team sees how their work is connecting to the bigger picture and also that they are building sustainable skills for an uncertain world.
- Finally, consider the experience, domain knowledge, and untapped skills of your team members that could be deployed on this project. By linking the assets each team member brings to the work – particularly skills that they feel they would like to use more of – you are not only helping them see their potential contribution to the project but also connecting them to their strengths, which we know from Positive Psychology is a powerful approach to helping people see what’s possible during times of change.
This may not be the perfect solution to moving your work and team forward – but remember, there is no room for perfection now. Only doing…..not just thinking.
I hope your week is one of doing, of taking action. Remember: there is a time to train and a time to race. It’s Race Day.