Some leaders think it’s all OK. But the data? It’s saying otherwise. We’re wading through a swamp known as the Great Gloom. It’s like…we’re getting it done. But inside a puddle of molasses.
We’re grey and sad and untethered. Which does not in fact lead to our most outstanding results!
We need a solution. And I have one. And it’s trash. For real.
Look at these two signs — the kind you’d see in a park.
Notice how, at their core, they both say the same thing?
But also, notice how differently they make you feel.
The first one commands performance. And you’ll do it. But only what’s asked. And you’ll resent it.
Whereas the second? It’s asking the same of you. But in a way that feels lovely and expansive. That’s inviting you on a mission — that makes you want to give it your all.
The first represents how we drive Performance. The second, Activation.
Performing teams do what they’re asked
Activated teams are asked what they’d do
To help our teams find their way from the Great Gloom to the Great Glow Up, we need to be inviting our teams on a mission that includes — but doesn’t stop at — Performance. We need to Activate them.
We do this by asking questions. Good ones. Simple ones. And listening well and deeply to their answers. And taking real action. Quickly.
You know by now that we do this with Pulse Checks. And while your best bet is of course to ask your team directly what they’d do, here’s a handful of recs we’ve made lately to clients:
- Help your teams find Purpose. Neither existential nor spiritual, just make sure they can see a clear and direct link between daily tasks and meaningful outcomes. Customer-facing or back-office, every member of every team deserves to know how their work contributes to customer experience or company profitability. An invitation to feeling purposeful.
- Mix up team meetings. Invite leaders from other functions to your team meetings and vice versa. Crack down your silos and help your team broaden their understanding of the whole company and its workings. It drives connection, creativity and collaboration. An invitation into something bigger.
- Set up some peer coaching circles.Invite members of your team to coach and be coached by a handful of trusted colleagues. No cost, barely any setup. Lots of learning and development. An invitation into continuous learning.
- Say thank you to someone. Every day. Not for the big things, but the small ones. For the gesture or the courage or the helping hand. An invitation to feel recognized.
These strategies (and yeah, we’ve got dozens more) help to create that invitation. They get people thinking bigger and broader. It’s no longer about taking out the trash, but rather about keeping your park beautiful!
Ready to talk? You know where to find us 🙂