Back to Basics - Hitting Reset With Your Team

This time of year I encourage all leaders to spend some time thinking about what’s ahead and what this means for their teams. This is especially important right now.

Likely you’re wrapping up year-end, pulled in all directions, and perhaps slightly overwhelmed with the amount of content hitting your screen daily. 

My recommendation? Go back to the basics – hitting reset means taking a breath.

Dedicate time for this reset, create an environment without distraction where you can truly focus and reflect.

As you take a pause and think, ask yourself what you really know about your team and what they know about you (jot down your thoughts if you need to).

Are you virtual strangers? How does that serve or hinder working together? How can simple asks like meeting openers help you connect again, or even for the first time?

Here are a few ideas I’ve found helpful in creating that sense of connection both in person and virtually:

• Encourage the use of one-word check-ins at top and end of meetings

All should participate (including you!). This is a great way to get a sense of how each attendee is feeling. If possible, monitor this regularly and notice when there are trends or changes among individuals. What is happening that is causing this feeling?

• Easy openers. These should be simple (unmeeting related) questions to build presence among the group. Example: What would you do if you had a free flight anywhere in the world post-Covid? Where would you go and what is one thing you would do?

There is great importance to the workplace and leadership theories relevant to today’s workplace, but sometimes the best place to start is just to keep it simple. Re-introduce the idea of being a human being instead of a machine that expects others to be a machine