How to boost your team’s energy in the hybrid work era

In today's challenging and complicated business environment, teams are facing the stress and pressure caused by the fear of job cuts and economic uncertainty. As a result, more than 40% of people with desk jobs feel burned out at work, according to a survey released in February by Future Forum.

In turn, hybrid work has made collaboration harder and caused teams to become even more isolated. Besides these obstacles, shrinking teams are pushing workers to the brink. Smaller teams are expected to suppress expectations and deliver exceptional results with increasingly limited resources.

So how can leaders find new ways to support their teams and foster a culture of resilience and creativity in the face of adversity? Here are some useful insights to reverse this situation and boost your team’s energy in the hybrid work era.

Positivity is undoubtedly a must

According to Emma Sepp?l? and Kim Cameron’s article for Harvard Business Review, having a positive and energising leader on a hybrid team can be a game-changer for the entire group. Here are some of the benefits that a leader, who exude positivity can bring to their team:

●?????Create a culture of optimism and inspiration: By nurturing positive relationships with team members, building trust, and motivating them to push themselves to achieve their goals, a great leader can foster a positive and productive environment.

●?????Fuel team’s creativity and productivity: A leader's positive attitude and ability to motivate and support their team have a significant impact on the team's productivity and ability to generate innovative ideas.

●?????Nurture positive relationships: Engaging in effective communication, acknowledging achievements, and establishing an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, nurtures positive relationships between leaders and teams.

●?????Build trust: Positive leaders promote transparency, accountability, and open communication among team members, consistently modelling these behaviours themselves.

●?????Improve communication in a hybrid work environment: Effective leaders create a set of guidelines for effective communication and schedule regular virtual meetings and check-ins to stay connected with their team members.

●?????Break down silos: Leaders can dismantle silos by promoting knowledge-sharing across different departments or teams, and encouraging open communication and the exchange of ideas among all team members.

●?????Make collaboration more effective: Great leaders clarify goals and expectations, allocate tasks based on the strengths and expertise of team members, and ultimately provide the resources and support needed to help the team achieve their goals.

Apart from that, a leader with an energising presence can help to motivate team members, inspiring them to work harder, take risks, and achieve their goals. That can make a huge difference in the team's success, helping to create a work environment that is supportive, engaging, and ultimately, fulfilling.

The 3 pathways to boost your team’s energy

After conducting a survey with 3,000 workers, Harvard PhD, Heidi k. Gardner and her team found out that successful and energising leaders have three different paths they can take to channel all that positive energy into their hybrid team for remarkable collaboration and performance results. They’re called channelling, generating, and multiplying. Let’s now take a deeper look at these pathways.

?

Channel you team’s energy: all towards the same goal

Has your team recently lost one or more of its members? And worst, do you have to deal with more and more tasks with a shrinking team? You’re definitely not alone and some of the following issues might sound familiar to you:

●?????Efforts are spread too thin across multiple projects simultaneously.

●?????The amount of time dedicated to online meetings has significantly increased.

●?????Your team's focus and motivation are being divided among too many different priorities.

●?????Remaining employees are taking on additional tasks and projects.

Not only can issues like team burnout and excessive workload cause low performance, but the root cause can also be misidentified, leading managers to implement ineffective solutions, such as micromanagement that can further drain team energy.

It's important for managers to accurately diagnose the root causes of low performance to implement solutions that will truly benefit the team and boost productivity.

When a team is stretched thin, it's up to the leader to harness their collective energy by uniting their diverse strengths towards a common goal. Here’s what Harvard PhD, Heidi k. Gardner and her team of experts recommend:

●?????Set clear objectives and reinforce them regularly, so everyone can cope with one common goal.

●?????Prioritise communication and listen to your team's needs to establish a collaborative environment that fosters productivity and growth.

●?????Avoid introducing unnecessary stressors that can harm morale and increase burnout.

●?????Don’t praise team members who are overwhelmed with work: it doesn’t mean that they are channelling their energy towards the main objective.

●?????Consider creating a forum where team members can share their priorities, avoid overlapping tasks, and assist one another to keep the team on track towards its common goals.

Keep in mind that, as a leader, your focus is on problem-solving ways to channel employees’ attention and make sure their energy is channelled towards one common goal. By bringing everyone together, a powerful force is created that can overcome any obstacle and achieve great things.

?

Generating energy: rising after the fall

It’s a common situation after layoffs in shrinking hybrid teams: employees feel drained and emotional due to the loss of both colleagues and friends. Hybrid or remote work exacerbates feelings of isolation as it limits opportunities for informal conversations and relationship-building.

To tackle this issue, leaders should actively create positive energy in the workplace and foster a sense of community, helping team members to build rapport and trust even in virtual environments. Here follows some experts’ tips to make it happen:

●?????Build a link between work and mission: By showing your team how their individual tasks and efforts contribute to a greater purpose, such as helping customers or stakeholders, you can ignite a sense of meaning and purpose that will not only motivate them but also improve their performance in measurable ways.

●?????Treat your team as human beings, not machines: By truly listening to their thoughts and concerns, you can help them feel valued and motivated. A simple smile, friendly conversation, and eye contact can go a long way in making your team members feel like they are more than just cogs in a machine.

●?????Celebrate small achievements: Making progress on work frequently can lead to positive emotions, motivation, and creativity. Celebrating small achievements can help build momentum and counteract the energy drain from setbacks. These wins shouldn't be random, but rather tied to a strategic goal broken down into short-term milestones to keep the team on track and motivated.

?

Multiplying Energy: exploring your own team’s strengths

Leaders who are energy multipliers can boost their team's energy by identifying and utilising the diverse strengths, talents, and experiences of team members.

This skill is particularly important in hybrid teams where remote work can lead to isolated working and limit opportunities for understanding and utilising different member’s knowledge and perspectives. Heidi k. Gardner’s research provides us some insights on how energy multipliers leaders act:

●?????Get to know your team’s peculiarities and features: To better understand your team and encourage them to share their unique qualities and experiences, leaders can initiate conversations about their expertise, personalities, and life experiences, fostering a fun and engaging exercise for team members.

●?????Put your ego aside: To inspire and motivate employees, leaders should show genuine interest in their employees' competencies and viewpoints, rather than only talking about themselves. Asking people about themselves can lead to a morale boost, greater focus, and increased productivity, among other benefits.

●?????More learning and less control: Empower your team members to use their unique strengths to contribute creatively and effectively to strategic goals. View setbacks not as failures but as opportunities for growth and encourage your team to improve and learn without micromanaging them. Provide guidance when needed but also trust your team to perform at their best.

In today's world of uncertainty and unpredictability, leaders of collaborative teams have a unique opportunity to drive faster innovation, stronger results, and higher employee engagement by infusing energy into their teams.

As we have seen through recent challenges such as Covid and economic instability, low or negative energy can pose a significant threat to business growth. Therefore, it's crucial for leaders to prioritise generating, channelling, or multiplying positive energy within their teams to fuel focus, innovation, and ultimately, business success.