3 Tips to Build Team Energy That Will Take No Extra Time
Shelli Baltman
Do you miss your team? Those moments together that made you love to come to work?
You’re not the only one! According to a recent McKinsey survey, 40% of employees are at least somewhat likely to quit in the next 3-6 months with about 18% already actively looking for another job – the dramatic reduction in social connection in the workplace has reduced many employees’ affinity for their jobs, making it easier to consider new options. As leaders, we know we’ve got to create the amazing team dynamics that reduce these numbers, but it can be tough to find the time.
Here are a few tips that are proven to create the conversations and connections (that take very little time!) that can help to build team culture and energy and, in doing so, create a more magnetic workplace.
1. Creating deeper conversations
Take 5-10 minutes at the beginning of a team meeting and run small breakout sessions (ideally 2 to 3 people per group) with a great question with the potential to spark the kinds of conversations that build deep connection. We recently sponsored the Canadian Social Connection survey with Dr. Kiffer Card at the University of Victoria. Somewhat surprisingly, it showed that people are craving connections with their colleagues more than with friends or family. That’s because those connections with our friends at work are what most of us are still missing. Here are a few suggestions for breakout questions:
a) Share one thing you want to accomplish – personally or professionally – in the next 3 months.
b) Tell your breakout partner(s) one thing that you notice and admire about them at work.
c) Share something you noticed or experienced in the past 24 hours that made you truly grateful.
2. Deep Work Wednesdays
Based on our Energy for Growth course, one of our clients recently instituted Deep Work Wednesdays. They decided to block 9am – 1pm every Wednesday for meeting-free time devoted to deep work. Wednesday mornings were allocated for team working, or individual working on top priorities. We believe that happiness is often a result of making meaningful progress – and dedicated time for deep work can get your team a lot closer to the meaningful progress they crave. The productivity increase that can result from an initiative like this one is remarkable! If you’re unable to make this happen with your team as a whole, think about blocking Deep Work time in your own calendar – and recommending that your team members do the same. The energy boost is certainly worth the effort.
3. A thoughtful little gift
A thoughtful little gift – It seems very basic, but send a thoughtful, surprise gift. We know from the research that 54% of employees are leaving their jobs because they didn’t feel valued by their organization or their manager. Showing your appreciation through a thoughtful little gift can go a long way. Ideally, this would be personal to the individual – but thoughtful gifts can be something that you do for the team as a whole if they come from the heart.
We recently gifted our team members a package containing Atomic Habits, The Five Minute Journal, and an exercise ball. These were gifts that we valued based on personal experience, and we shared our experiences with them at our team meeting. The conversation and connection created around the gift was worth every ounce of effort.
As leaders, its our job to look for big and small ways to build your team’s energy. We hope that these quick tips can be applied to your workplace or inspired other small actions you can take that will have a significant positive impact on your team’s energy and connection.
We’d love to hear from you – have you tried any of these? Let us know how they work with your team!
