Think, Feel, Do! Creating a happy and motivated team in 2024
Did you know a recent study showed that the average adult has between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts daily? And that 95% of those thoughts are repetitive from the day before? We’re undoubtedly habitual creatures, that’s for sure. As human beings, our brain is wired to jump to conclusions, too, so when you hear something go bump in the night, your thoughts immediately go to a potential axe murderer rather than your pet knocking your phone off the nightstand.
Our perceptions can impact our performance at work, too. All of us can and will perceive the same situation differently, and when it comes to creating a happy and motivated team, considering all diverse perspectives is crucial. A great example is when you’re running late for a meeting. Whether it’s your fault or not, it can affect how you behave. Some people’s thoughts will naturally be that of worry and overwhelm. Others will doubtlessly feel unbothered about their tardiness and assume they’ll get to the meeting… when they get there!
Same problem, different perspectives. To create a happy team, you must invite others to help you create a vision where everyone’s perspectives are considered - and motivation will follow!
Developing a clear vision for your team
Before Laughology works with a company, we ask them how they want their team to think, feel and do. And that includes considering everyone’s perspectives. Getting to the bottom of how your team thinks can impact the outcome of any learning and development programme.
Here’s what to include when considering your vision.
THINK
What’s on your teams’ minds about their work and what they’re capable of? Growth mindset is a buzzword that you’ve probably heard a lot, but for good reason. Are your team members working towards their strengths? Perhaps you could create an anonymous survey to understand what they’re thinking about themselves and their current work. It will help you build a roadmap to where you would like them to end up.
Successful teams have a shared vision about what they want to achieve in the short and long term and a similar understanding of learning. For instance, if you work with a person who is only concerned about their career progression, their actions will no doubt reflect this. I once worked with someone who regularly took other people’s ideas as their own, thus alienating others in the process. Ultimately, the team didn’t thrive because everyone wanted something different.
FEEL
According to the CIPD Work Index, one in five UK workers will likely quit their jobs in the next 12 months because of poor management and a lack of development opportunities.
Employees who feel valued and excited about what they’re doing are more likely to stay and generate innovative ideas. How would you like your team members to feel when working at home or in the office? The reality is that it won’t always be rainbows and unicorns, but we want people to feel excited and valued.
What do you need to do more of, or less of, as a manager to help them feel a particular way? Are you able to place the responsibility onto a team member about how they want to feel, and what can you do to support them in achieving this?
DO
Consider how you communicate with your team. Is it clear about what’s expected of them? We can often assume our team know what we’re thinking, but is it worth doing team-building exercises to establish what’s underneath the surface value?
Laughology recently had a team building Christmas day and party, where we played games to generate new ideas and connect and learn new skills that can be applied when delivering training.
In his book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins references having the right people in the right positions on the bus. If certain people sit in the “wrong” seats, it won’t matter where you’re trying to go; you simply won’t get there. Think of it like buying a new pair of jeans that don’t fit the way your old ones did. You bring in the waist a little, but it doesn’t solve the problem of the rest of the jeans. You decide to pay for a tailor to adjust it more, but they still don’t fit the way your old jeans did because they’re not your old jeans.
How often do people stay in a role or job because this is what they’re trained to do, but they have a passion and drive to do something else that they could do better?
How we think and feel leads to actions that help rather than hinder us. If you’d like to learn more about developing a happier, more motivated team in the new year, contact our Doug - doug@laughology.co.uk to see how we can help you.
Selina Brown’s background is in performing and writing, which has helped her create and deliver various workshops within the educational, charity and corporate sectors. She was once a children’s entertainer, dressing up as princesses and clowns for loads of excitable, bouncy, sugar-fuelled kids. She says it sounds scarier than it was. Yeah, we believe you, Selina!