It can be difficult as a leader to be engaged when we allow ourselves to get caught in crisis mode, always putting out fires, and reacting to our day instead of interacting with it. We should be intentional and strategic with our time. This takes practicing all of the skills we have discussed up to this point including:
Communicate
We must continue to communicate the vision through our actions and words to the team, to our patients, and to our referrals. We can say it all day, but if we are not living it those words are empty.
Know your team
We have to be intentional about spending time with our team. We should know details about our team member's lives like: Spouses' names, Kids' names, pets' names, and the big events going on in their personal lives. We should get to know who they are and who they want to be so we can help mentor them and encourage them as they grow into that person. If we are their peer or their manager, we should be intentional about being their biggest cheerleader and the one that helps them course correct when they need it.
Imagine how well a team would work together if they were all so engaged that they knew each other's hopes and goals and were encouraging each other daily! It is exciting to imagine the possibilities with such a strong team working together to accomplish their goals!
Did I mention Communicate?!!
Successful leaders know that communication is vital to every business. Utilize your weekly reports to communicate what is going on in your world. This report should express your highs, lows, and what you are looking forward to each week. This should not replace communication with your manager about problems that are interfering with your ability to work. Those problems should be communicated immediately and in person.
You should be having at least one meeting a week with your manager and team to discuss what is going on , what needs to be done, and progress on important goals. This communication is important and should not be seen as inconvenient. Businesses find themselves in trouble when they do not set weekly meetings and commit to them. Even if there is nothing new to discuss, it is an opportunity to sit or stand as a group and acknowledge that all is good. Lack of communication creates division and is a quick way to see your team become disengaged.
Solution-seek
There is a danger zone for a team where people fall into the habit of just doing the work at their j-o-b. It is in this ugly place that team members become workers or employees, and everyone focuses on problems and issues. EEeeek! Leaders make leaders, so as we improve our habits of solution-seeking, so will our team. This starts with actively seeking better ways to do things and not just accepting "the way it has always been done."
It also means asking "why do we do it?" Sometimes we keep doing things that we no longer have to do just because we forgot why we did it and kept doing it because we always did it. The best leaders are always asking "why?" and "how can we do it better?".
Most importantly, do not be afraid to think outside the box...or even better lose the box all together! Be willing to reinvent things and explore different possibilities outside your comfort zone.
Oh, yea! Communicate!
Look for opportunities to praise your team and team members. Discuss areas you need to course correct and get them back on track. Be intentional about stopping gossip! Gossip blooms in teams that are disengaged. Engaged teams do not have time for gossip and are so focused on improving things that gossip is an obstacle they will not tolerate.
Do not be afraid to get excited, talk about what you learn, talk about new ideas, and put them all into action! Being engaged is like being a lit match. Your excitement becomes a light. Use that light to spread the fire and get your team engaged!
Scriptures:
Exodus 18:21 Galatians 6:9 Ecclesiastes 3:1 2 Timothy 2:2
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