Tough times within a business can manifest in many different ways: profits might be low, bonuses might not be as much as predicted, layoffs might occur, or a star employee might leave the organization. No matter what happens, you will have to lead your team through these events in a way that ensures success at the other end.
Depending on your leadership style, you might have different strategies to combat tough times in the office, but here are three ways you might want to consider implementing them into your methods.
Reconnect as a Team
The strength of your team is essential to pulling your organization through tough times. However, whatever might be causing the hiccup in your organization could directly affect your teams and employees, leading to a decrease in productivity, morale, and engagement. So, it is time to gather the team up, whether physically or online, and take this opportunity to reconnect and find that spark again.
This might involve participating in group activities, a dinner outing, or Zoom get-togethers. Whatever you do, take this opportunity to get everyone together, talking, and collaborating. This can help rebuild their relationships with each other, increase trust, and motivate them again once it’s time to get back to work.
Reestablish Group and Independent Goals to Reignite Passion
Depending on what causes the obstacles within a business, goals might be halted or forgotten as other tasks take priority. However, this can cause team members to forget what they are working toward and feel disconnected from the goals of their roles. This lack of motivation and engagement can lead to larger issues down the road regarding productivity and work quality.
So, a great way to combat challenging times is to reestablish the goals within each of your team members and as a group. Reigniting this passion can get everyone back on track and help them not dwell or stress about whatever challenge affects the business. You can do this through one-on-one or group meetings, ensuring that while you are not trying to sweep the obstacle under the rug, you keep your team members motivated and engaged with their bigger picture.
Come Together to Embrace the Future
One of the most impactful ways to lead through tough times is by inspiring hope to those around you. Similar to creating goals one-on-one with your team members, bringing everyone together and creating a vision for the future can be extremely important. Challenging times can put employees at a standstill, cause confusion, and make them unsure of the future. So, it is essential to combat those feelings.
Through team meetings and collaboration opportunities, you can help your team members remember the big picture of the company or collaborate on a new vision for the future. This can help reignite everyone’s passion and settle any nerves they might have been feeling about their roles or the business.
Tough times are inevitable in a business; as a leader, you are responsible for adequately supporting, guiding, and leading your team to the other side. If you have further questions or wish to learn to be a more decisive leader for your team, contact me.