How can we help with the Engagement of our Team? Whether you are Coaching a High-Performance Team or You are one of the High-Performers, you can have a major impact on your team by the amount of gratefulness you exhibit.
Gratefulness and Fear cannot exist at the same time. Practicing gratefulness and thinking every day about what you are grateful for will improve your outlook and those who you interface with every day. We are talking about your work team, your team at home, your team of friends and colleagues.
Here are some things that will help you cultivate this gratitude and the positive feelings that come with it.
- Keep a Gratitude Journal. You can do this old school with a pen and a journal book or you can do it using Microsoft Notes or your Apple Notes etc.… you know what I mean.There is something to be said about putting thoughts to words and communicating them onto a written page. This can be a type written page but the process is what’s important. Do this at any time during the day but research shows that the two best times to do this. Do it in the morning, as you set your intentions for the day and think about the things you have on schedule for the day.The other time to do this is after the day and you think about all the things from this day th.at you are grateful for.
- Be Grateful for The Wins and The Learning Experiences.We are present and can reflect on all the things that happen to us during our day starting from the way we wake up in the morning and our morning routine which prepares us for the day. Be aware of all of the things that have happened during the day. Reflect on these things in a spirit of gratefulness.Be grateful for those experiences that move you and your team closer to your goals. We also want to recognize the events that have happened that have happened that may not have worked out as you had expected but you learned from them never the less. If you are grateful for the wins and the learnings, you will have more of what is bringing you closer to your goals…moving you forward on your path. Remember, Thomas Edison had many failures before he finally was successful inventing the incandescent light bulb.
- Develop an environment of thankfulness with your team. Thanking people on your team for contributions when they occur goes a long way to motivating future contributions. It helps to develop the forward momentum toward the goals that you and the team have envisioned. People that are genuinely acknowledged shortly after they do something to help themselves and the team experience increased feelings of value and self-worth. We show our gratitude on our team by virtually “ringing the bell” with a publication celebrating most every win and contribution on a very regular basis. Remember to catch people doing things right and recognize it. It goes a long way to foster the attitude of gratitude on your team.
- Make sure you are acknowledging and are grateful for contributions from everyone on your team. Some people are naturally more willing and eager to share their wins. These people need no coaxing on celebrating their wins. Certain positions are easier to recognize for their contributions. High profile positions on football teams like quarterback, running back or wide receivers get much more recognition and gratitude than some unsung heroes like the O-line and those individual efforts (yes, I used to be that guy). Look hard and be grateful for the contributions of people from your team that are doing the right things and acknowledge these things. Be grateful for all the things, big and little, that your spouse, significant other or life partner do for you at home and acknowledge these things. The same for your children- no matter their age. Be grateful for them and the things they do and let them know that.
When people are acknowledged, they feel recognized and feel much more part of a team. If you want better Engagement from all the members of your team, you can start by being grateful for them being part of the team. You can recognize them for their wins and coach them through those learning experiences. It is this way that they move toward their goals and the team moves towards their goals. Sales and profitability goals are met much faster by fully engaged sales teams. It is about all on the team moving the team forward in the same direction. Being grateful for this progress and recognizing these contributions will go a long way toward seeing you team as fully engaged.