Your team is facing a crisis. How do you keep their morale and motivation high?

In times of crisis, keeping team morale and motivation high is crucial. First, ensure open and transparent communication, keeping everyone informed about the situation and updates. Show empathy and provide support by understanding individual concerns and offering assistance. Engage the team in problem-solving, empowering them with responsibilities and encouraging their input. Acknowledge and appreciate their efforts, no matter how small. Promote a healthy work-life balance and stress management techniques. Staying positive and united as a team can help navigate through the crisis effectively.

Durante minha experiência como PMO em duas crises – um incidente cibernético e a pandemia de COVID-19 em hospital – adotei algumas práticas fundamentais. Estabele?a um time de crise com reuni?es diárias de meia hora para destravar e deliberar pontos críticos. Crie canais de report e comunica??o com stakeholders, incluindo boletins informativos e reuni?es periódicas com o conselho. Na comunica??o dentro do time de crise, defina papéis claros e acordos de intera??o para criar um time sinérgico. Estabele?a também um canal emergencial para assuntos que precisem ser reportados e decididos sem aguardar a reuni?o. Essas práticas garantiram uma comunica??o eficiente e a motiva??o da equipe durante os momentos mais desafiadores.

To keep your team's morale and motivation high during a crisis, communicate openly and transparently, acknowledging their concerns and offering support. Set clear, manageable goals and priorities to provide direction and a sense of accomplishment. Recognize and celebrate small wins, showing appreciation for their efforts. Foster a sense of team spirit through collaboration and virtual activities, and remain flexible by adapting plans and offering flexible work arrangements. Prioritize their well-being by promoting work-life balance and providing wellness resources.

Take a clue from the Incident Command System available from FEMA. Incidents and crisis can be scaled up and down from an elderly fall victim to Hurricane Katrina. On large multiple casualty incidents I have worn many hats under these clearly defined roles from Medical Group Supervisor to Triage Unit Leader, Treatment Unit Leader and Transportation Group Supervisor. Training and communications are key to coming together and following orders.

Give brief examples from own experience in similar crisis situations with a positive outcome, so to plant motivational vibes and encourage them for a clear mind action with fruitful results. Keep it short and smart, without too many explanatory details as usually through a crisis situations the reaction time is limited.

Empathy should never go alone, compassion should come along for a true effect on the members in stress. Again, share own similar experience in your past with ways out of it to point to the light in the tunnel is there.

I feel quite strongly about this subject. What is empathy? Short Definition from Google: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Please do not confuse this with sympathy. Short Definition: Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune. When a person is in crisis, become a pillar of support for them. Share available resources your organization may offer. Share past experiences with them. Overall, actively listen to them and make them feel heard. Everyone has the right to be heard.

Settling realistic goals will definitely be of help. Every goal has to be "SMART" i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time based. Every progress made, however little, will encourage the team to do more.

Apply a swift own judgement through the team members to seed out those with stronger ego thus address the more team-like spirit members, those more prone to faster engage in teamwork spirit and act more efficiently in it, so to safe time that is the key to a positive outcome from emergency situation.

O trabalho em equipe é a espinha dorsal de uma gest?o de emergência eficaz. Monte um time enxuto, aproveitando os pontos fortes de cada membro e promovendo um senso de unidade. Quando os indivíduos sentem que fazem parte de uma equipe de apoio que trabalha em prol de um objetivo comum, eles s?o mais propensos a contribuir. Estabele?a um comitê de crise com papéis e responsabilidades claros, rotinas de report e facilita??o. No início, defina a dinamica de trabalho e fa?a acordos de intera??o, criando um ambiente onde todos possam falar abertamente e trazer problemáticas. Um PMO como facilitador pode adotar práticas ágeis para destravar pontos críticos e manter a equipe focada, como reuni?es diárias. Lembre sempre do propósito.

One of the reasons that hinders a team from achieving her goal or coming out of a crisis easily is when there is no unity of purpose or if there is conflict between team members. The team leader must also have the skill to detect and handle such conflict well.

Open, honest communication is paramount; keeping everyone informed with timely updates helps alleviate uncertainties and build trust. Show empathy and understanding for your team's concerns and provide the necessary support, whether emotional, logistical, or professional. Recognize and celebrate small victories and individual efforts to foster a sense of accomplishment and unity. Encourage teamwork and collaboration, reinforcing the notion that they are stronger together. Lastly, lead by example, demonstrating resilience and a calm, collected demeanor to inspire confidence and commitment within the team.

They say it all starts at the top and trickles down. Be the leader you would like to have. Always find something positive to say. It can be as simple as John, I noticed you in the break room taking out the trash. That was great of you, Thanks! Give out verbal praise for a job well done. Even your least favorite employee deserves a kudo! "Remember, it all starts at the top and trickles down. Be the kind of leader that you would like to have. Always find something positive to say, even simple things like "John, I noticed you in the break room taking out the trash. That was great of you, Thanks!" Give verbal praise for a job well done. Even your least favorite employee deserves recognition!"

Major cyber emergencies can last days or weeks. Leaders must remember that team members respond differently to stress—some may exhibit fight-or-flight behaviors, becoming aggressive or withdrawn. Leaders must consider emotional responses. Major incidents require sustained effort. When a major incident is declared, transition from "all hands on deck" to managed shifts with proper hand-offs. Promote self-care by encouraging breaks, rest, and stress relief. Avoid comfort foods in the "war room" and favor brain-fueling, stress-reducing options like blueberries over donuts. By promoting self-care, you help maintain high morale and motivation, enabling the team to perform throughout the crisis. Major incidents are a marathon, not a sprint.

The well-being aspect is the hardest! Especially, if the crisis only lasts for a short time. We all like to think we can "grit and grind" through it. Leaders are in the worst position for burnout. We feel like we MUST be seen and avail at all times. I agree, being present is very important but being extremely fatigued will only end in poor decisions. Also, subordinates will think the expectation from you is to burnout as well. There have been plenty of times I've asked people what they are waiting for to get some rest, and they only nodded towards the boss. Being a firefighter for 20+ years has really changed my definition of crisis too. So, when you're reading all these replies, take the word crisis and really think about it...

Em tempos de crise, é crucial estabelecer uma rotina e um método de report. Utilize práticas ágeis, como reuni?es diárias (daily) com times multidisciplinares, para identificar e resolver pontos críticos, bem como, permitir a adaptabilidade. Crie canais de comunica??o claros e forne?a informa??es na medida certa, evitando lacunas que possam ser preenchidas com suposi??es erradas. Monte um time com diversos especialistas, para trazer uma vis?o holística. Deixe os papeis claros. Estabele?a um método estruturado de report da crise, documentando todas as decis?es de forma transparente. Isso facilita a gest?o da crise e contribui para o aprendizado organizacional, permitindo melhorias nos processos futuros.

It is important for you to be seen by your staff and not be thought of as hiding in some sort of 'ivory tower'. What I would refer to as 'management by walking around'. You might pick up on something that could be crucial that could otherwise be missed

If the team is facing a crisis 1. Acknowledge it 2. Allow an appropriate and controlled amount of venting with validation 3. Reframe the crisis as an opportunity 4. Celebrate the inevitable post crisis growth both individually and as a team. 5. Use the crisis to deepen the interpersonal relationships within the team.