6 Ways to Energize Your Team

1. Assume others are smart and working hard. People want to succeed. When you fundamentally trust that they’re working diligently to meet or exceed your expectations, you empower them. In contrast, coming to the table with unfounded doubt in your team’s capability or work ethic can quickly sabotage everyone’s efforts.
2. Listen intently and ask thoughtful questions. It seems almost silly to encourage something as simple as listening, but so many of us do it very poorly. Listening and asking thoughtful questions not only generates more useful ideas and conversations, but it bolsters your team’s faith in your engagement level—and it drives their momentum.
3. Acknowledge the sacrifices others have made on your behalf. When you recognize how people have worked to put your interests before their own, you demonstrate humility and gratitude that is absolutely key for maintaining healthy collaboration. You can deeply inspire and motivate your team when you acknowledge the sacrifices they’ve made.
4. Express gratitude for their effort and their results. This should be a no-brainer, but sometimes we forget to thank our team members for what they’ve accomplished! You earn loyalty and boost confidence when you take the time to truly express gratitude for the work that others do.
5. Remind them why their work is so important. It’s so easy to lose sight of the big picture. Knowing that their work is making a difference in the grand scheme will go a long way in motivating your team to do great work.
6. Put slack in the system. When everything is tight all the time, it drains us. When we punctuate periods of drive with rest, it rejuvenates us. For example, the content team and I just took a week off the blog after an intense season. We know that purposeful time to unwind allows us to come back sharp, energized, and creative.

Yes, you can talk about issues that need to be addressed, but it has to be done in a way that leaves people motivated about what is possible.

SOURCE:michaelhyatt.com