Question: My team is anxious about ongoing changes. How do I keep morale steady?
Answer: Change is often a source of anxiety, firstly because it’s not welcome, and secondly because we’re not in control of much of it. It is also an everyday reality for most teams in organisations, since change happens frequently. There are 3 practical things we can do to help our teams remain motivated and impactful during times of uncertainty:
- Communicate about the state of change frequently, but don’t pretend there is certainty when there isn’t. While we often want to comfort people by making them feel better, it is not helpful to sugarcoat the situation or make promises you can’t keep. Honesty really is the best policy.
- Check in on wellbeing frequently. Give your team lots of opportunity to express how they are feeling. You can’t support them through a change if you aren’t aware of how they are coping.
- Finally (and most importantly), focus your team’s contribution and accountability on things they have direct control over. Change can be paralysing because it is often initially experienced as unwelcome, and we have little control over it. Focusing on what your team can do something about is much more empowering, as it maintains a sense of impact and positive contribution. When we’re clear on what we can contribute and have a motivating ‘why’ for doing it, we feel more fulfilled and motivated when we can deliver.
