5 elements of action-oriented teams

2020 was the year of firsts.

If a best practice guide didn’t exist, we created it. If WFH technology wasn’t ready, we made it happen. If a role didn’t exist yet, we figured it out.

2020 was a reactive year for most workplaces. Our biological response to urgency delivered what experts call the Pleasure Principle: it feels good to save the day, be needed and have a deadline.

Deadlines give us the high of achievement and the biological surge of adrenaline and dopamine. And unexpected deadlines deliver that in spades.

But now that things have (somewhat) stabilised, we are back to business as usual. Yes, our workplace environment may look different, but the expectations we ‘just get on with it’, haven’t changed.

Why is it so hard to get back to work?

It’s never been easier to access work, so why does it feel hard to get back to work?

As we settle into the new ‘normal’, plenty of our clients are sharing they feel flat, de-motivated and bored. The BAU work isn’t going away, neither are the expectations, but for some reason… they just can’t be bothered. What goes up must come down, after all.

After the high of urgent, responsive work, where we are continually learning, all of a sudden we find ourselves in our comfort zones again.

In 2021, without the deadline-driven adrenaline and dopamine, we are all ‘getting back to it’, without as much of the anticipatory high.

If we are to deliver work that has meaning, amazing results and momentum, we have to find a way to take sustainable action. We have to figure out a way to motivate ourselves again.

How do we motivate ourselves and our teams?

Motivation is derived from the latin source, ‘movere’, which means to move. We feel motivation when we know what’s in it for us. We are motivated to act when we have clarity on how to succeed. We take action when there is momentum and support in equal measures.

We have discovered five areas of People Leadership positively impact action-oriented teams. These are the foundational steps towards achieving a culture of high performance.

1. Clarity

Every action we take at work should stem from what success looks like as the end goal, and then work backwards. If we are aligned in what success looks like, we can open a conversation with our People Leader or team on how we will achieve that and what needs to happen to enable that. If you are unclear what success looks like in your role, or your team are unclear, this is an excellent starting point to clarify, or seek guidance as to what success could look like.

• Formal tool: KPI/KRA/Success measures.
• Informal tool: raise with your people leader in your next 1:1 and open a discussion.

2. Consistency

Studies have shown we would rather have a consistently underwhelming leader than an inconsistent brilliant leader (!). 

We all crave consistency. One of the fastest ways we can deliver that in the workplace is removing any pressure to be perfect and replacing it with a goal to be ‘passionately average’. It sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it. But when we remove the pressure to know it all, we create space to focus on our consistent behaviours, tools and communications.

• Formal tool: consistently present, calm and focussed in my meetings and 1:1s.
• Informal tool: each day, keep a tab or a post it of the promises you make verbally or in writing. At the end of the week check them off: did you deliver what you promised? 

3. Trust 

If you have clarity and consistency, the good news is you’re already halfway there to creating a culture or dynamic of trust around your performance. Focussing on transparent communication, good and bad, is the gateway to building trust. 

• Formal tool: cascading company and team announcements (including challenging news)
• Informal tool: reflect on the company values and give yourself a ‘score’ out of ten for how often you exhibit those behaviours. Assign yourself a stretch goal to challenge yourself.

4. Feedback

Sourcing and actioning feedback to improve our own performance is a stepping stone to developing trust with others. When we can source feedback, then action it, we then have a greater level of care with those we share our feedback with. 

• Formal tool: Performance Reviews, ask for one piece of feedback to drive your performance forward.
• Informal tool: If you lead a team, ask them to reflect on once piece of feedback on your leadership that will help them achieve their goals. Invite them to share in your next 1:1. If you are a team member, share how your people leader helps you shift the dial and what that enables you to do.

5. Recognition

One tool that has been incredibly useful with our clients has been to outline simple ways to recognise acts of ‘business as usual’, and align those pieces of feedback with how BAU work shifts the organisational dial and enables a wider impact.

• Formal tool: in each people milestone (such as successful probation, performance reviews or goal setting), outline how your team member or leader’s work has helped you shine.
• Informal tool: in 1:1’s outline how the BAU work has enabled the team, organisation and industry to perform and continue to perform during a challenging time. Share the impact and meaning, personally and professionally. (Email is okay too :)

Motivating those in our care (including ourselves):

Instead of thinking, ‘how can I motivate myself’ (or my team), I invite you to reflect on this over the coming weeks:

• What conditions will enable me to take one small step forward at this time?
• What will enable my team member to take one small step forward?

I'd love to share our learnings and observations.

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