In the following weeks, I’ll talk about different ways to redirect your team(s) during and after COVID-19.
My new approach ‘R.E.S.E.T’ helps to increase well-being, strengthen relationships and strategise forward. It will give structure and clear, meaningful agreements for the whole team.
Read more on my LinkedIn.
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In March, I developed a practical approach for teams to grow in this new reality. Allow your department(s) to get a head start on the next big change!
It’s as easy as hitting a RESET button:
Reconnect with your colleagues
Explore together what worked well and what didn’t
Strategise about what to stop – start – continue
Engage with your team for remaining questions
Test your action plan and determine next steps
We’ll start below with the ‘R’ from reconnecting with your colleagues.
RECONNECTING using the ‘ABC OF MOTIVATION’
Being in lockdown also means being isolated from your previous lifestyle. Coffee breaks are not what they used to be, even with the best intention. Connection sometimes gets lost in digital translation. Since the moment people started to work from home on a massive scale, well-being and motivation have been shifting for many.
What motivates you, is different from what motivates me.
When I think about motivation, I think of trail blazers such as Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. They suggest that people are able to become self-determined when their needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence are satisfied (1985, 2000).
These three primary needs are experienced by people in all settings, however in a different way. Of course, you can inspire people with your words and actions. But, don’t try to be Great Motivator all the time. Yet, asses their primary needs using the questions below:
1. The need for Autonomy
We all want to experience freedom and choice in our thoughts and actions. Questions that cross the mind of your team members:
- To what extent can I can take ownership of my goals?
- How much can I participate in the decision making?
What our need for autonomy does not mean, is that we have team members work radically independent from each other.
2. The need for Belongingness (‘Relatedness’)
We all want closeness to a certain extent and develop trusting relationships. People working together ask themselves:
- How safe is the environment to express my opinion?
- Do I have enough meaningful conversations with my colleagues?
What our need for belongingness does not mean, is leaders checking in with us any moment of the day.
3. The need for Competence
We all want to experience self-confidence in our abilities to achieve goals. We want to make a difference to the outcomes. You might wonder:
- Is there enough clarity about what is expected from me?
- How am I getting support to develop mastery over tasks that are important to me?
What our need for competence does not mean, is to have leaders who made delegation their default leadership style.
SLOW. DOWN. to go faster
The question begs: What does ABC of motivation have to do with Reconnecting?
Well, everything, if you ask me.
Instead of being tempted to go back to business and to raw goal achievement, it can be more effective to have people in your organisation reconnect properly with each other first.
For instance, you could use the questions above and ask people how their need for autonomy, belongingness and competence was (un)met the past few weeks. What helped, what didn’t?
Or: you could find out in one-to-one or one-with-many talks what can be done to satisfy those needs more in the future.
I can support you during these team talks. My 10+ years experience in working with individual clients, teams and organisations will be of great help.
