How to Maintain You and Your Team’s Morale During A Season of Fatigue?

I woke up one morning and my usual upbeat stride vanished. I pushed through the Zoom meetings with a steady discipline and ticked off the long-list of things begging to be attended to, yet the joy was absent. Sure, there are always tasks that can be tedious but for the most part, I have enjoyed the challenges that my work brings. This one morning turned into two, three, a week and when I turned the calendar to a new month - I knew something was wrong. I missed my old self and none of the usual self-care strategies seemed to work.  As I reflect back on  those weeks this summer in the middle of the pandemic when I felt like I had to drag my way into being, it's hard for me to pinpoint what led to my feeling so drained. Maybe it was Zoom fatigue or managing the homeschooling/professional juggling act while being deprived of my usual nurturing pleasures that make the work manageable (i.e, dining out, a haircut, travel, etc.). Simple things that add up. Or maybe it was the ambivalent political climate coupled with the unknown outcome of the pandemic that put a dark cloud over everything. Or the death toll and grief experienced by friends whose families were struck by COVID-19 or whose businesses and work took a hit.  I do know that I wasn’t the only one. In fact, soon after that experience, I came across multiple writings around zoom fatigue and surveys revealing that one of the biggest challenges employers face was keeping employees motivated. Just like the wave of panic that first set in driving TP shortages, it seems the pandemic had worn out thousands creating another secondary sort of underlying pandemic - fatigue often leading to more chronic mental health problems as it manifested in depression and anxiety for many.  In fact, the CDC indicated that in June, 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse. 

How do we motivate ourselves and others through this season of ambiguity?  How do you motivate your kids who may be experiencing symptoms of depression? How do you lead your team to pull out of the fatigue funk and to tackle with fervor the opportunities that lie ahead? 

Lead yourself first before you lead others.

Take Inventory. The first thing is to not ignore the fatigue that you yourself may be experiencing first. Recognize when things are wrong and assess how it is impacting your body, your energy, your relationships. Take inventory of how you feel and explore who or what is taking away parts of yourself that are draining your energy. 

Surround yourself with people. The tendency to isolate yourself from others when you're exhausted is a natural response (especially if you are introverted). And while, it is a good thing to take time away to rest, to recharge, and to evaluate things - doing life alone is not.  Resist the urge to lock yourself in. Be intentional about talking to others about what is going on. I spoke up to my family, brought it up in a coaching session and just putting it out there took power away from the situation. People helped me to put things in perspective. Don’t do life alone. Seek help from others. You may be pleasantly surprised how kind people can be. Put away the pride and reach out. 

Build a world. As my family and I have taken up a routine of walks through the marshes to walk the new puppy, my seven year old daughter began to complain about the walk.  On one of these walks, I took a lesson from my father who on road trips would encourage me to create a world with my imagination. He would chime in and before we knew it we would be crossing state boundaries. So I built a world with my daughter. Everyday, we discovered a new world imagining adventures in neverland and rainbowland. Before we knew it, we would open the door to our home with a big smile. The seriousness and weight of the world takes a toll and in all our adulting, we forget to have fun, to laugh, and to enjoy the present moments that are before us. Make fun happen - start that hobby, build a world with your kids, do something that brings you joy outside of work.  How do these things help your motivation and focus?  It improves flow. Flow is the ability to absorb information non-judgmentally, which is important in communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution. In effect being curious about new information requires suspension of judgment.  It allows new ideas to be synthesized and sorted, allowing you to see associations between things you are trying to solve. During flow, huge nonessential portions of the prefrontal cortex come offline. Your brain puts more energy into keeping attention on the task at hand. Creativity goes through the roof as a result because you no longer judge every idea you have and can go from idea to idea to idea.  If you are a deliberate thinker, your creative ability is being held captive by the “metaphorical back rooms of your brain”. The executive and judgment centers of your prefrontal lobes may be keeping your best ideas and insights away from you. Basically, these centers in the brain are rather “control freaks.” To let the creative ideas loose, you have to be distracted with other tasks. 

Nourish your faith-walk. My mother ended up coming for a visit for a few weeks. She helped lift the weight from all the responsibilities at home my husband and I seemed to be drowning under. But she also is a fervent advocate of prayer. Since the pandemic hit, she with her friends spurred something like 70 small prayer groups via whatsapp.  She talked about how taking this time with others lifted them up, encouraged them and gave many the hope for the day they could cling to. So she walked with me and prayed over me and with me. Do you have someone in your life that can pray for you and with you?  I realize I was incredibly blessed to have such a gift in my life come right at the hour of need. But you don’t have to rely on a praying mother, there are many mission oriented organizations and churches able to pray with you and for you. You do have to reach out though. And, believe it or not, even research has found some positive outcomes in the power of prayer by impacting the meaning of life and even helping to improve cognitive focus as it dispels negative perceptions that keep people from otherwise focusing. 

As you are in a healthy place, you will be able to impart hope and vision to others. When you lead from a place of abundance instead of one of scarcity, you can encourage others on your team or in your family.  

Talk about your why. Encourage those on your team to talk about the purpose of your organization.  You can even invite a special speaker to navigate a discussion during a virtual lunch to bring a fresh perspective.  Tap into peoples passion by painting a picture of the vision ahead that they can grab and follow.

Focus on 1-3 priorities. Provide direction to your team in key focus areas and ensure your team is focused on these areas.  Lack of knowing what to do and where you are heading creates ambivalence and that further deepens the anxiety your team may already feel. Work with a disciplined approach towards these priorities and these steady steps helps infuse confidence which helps motivate and encourage your team.

Adopt an attitude of gratitude. We just came off the cusp of Thanksgiving weekend but you don’t have to relegate thankfulness to a couple of days a year. Convert gratitude into a value that transcends a holiday and create organizational habits around it. Gratitude chips away at the bitterness and restlessness of the soul, putting things in their right perspective. People on your team will feel valued, appreciated and reaching out in a thankful gesture is a moment that will touch their hearts encouraging them in this season. 

What other tips have you learned about or have found helpful in motivating yourself and others in this season?

Elizabeth Valenzuela Banker, who bought Shore Solutions in January 2016 and had to develop and lead a rapid turnaround program will share how she succeeding in driving cost efficiency, customer satisfaction, employee morale and cohesion to the highest levels in the company's history. In Family Bridges next networking breakfast event, Elizabeth will share some tips she has successfully applied in motivating her team during challenging seasons. Check that out by registering here.