Being a leader is more than just a title. It’s about being able to execute your business’s needs while uplifting your team at the same time.
So how can you keep your team motivated — and still hit your bottom line?
The key is building strong leadership skills. Read on for six impactful activities that can empower your team. Get it right, and you can improve your communication, instill trust, and encourage team creativity.
1. Survey staff
Create employee engagement surveys using digital tools like SurveyMonkey or Officevibe. Include questions that will give you feedback on your management style, and how you can improve leading your team.
Don’t forget to ask questions that spark engagement. For example, “We’re having an office party next week to celebrate your hard work. What type of food should we have?” or “If you reward yourself for reaching a company goal, how would you do it?”
Here are three ways to boost engagement in your survey.
Create a contest. If you use a central communication platform with your staff, you can also create a contest in your newsfeed for more engagement. Ask team members to post a video of their top five reasons on why they like working with each other and allow them to vote on who’s video they liked best. Whoever gets the most votes can choose company swag or a gift card to their favorite restaurant as their prize.
Offer rewards. Give each member of your team a small reward for their participation in the survey. It can be a sweet treat like a chocolate bar or cupcake or getting an extra 10 minutes of lunch.
Plan an interactive debrief. Hold a meeting with every survey participant and allow them to have space where they can openly discuss their answers with each other. Giving them the time and opportunity to have a voice will help you understand them better, and address their concerns.
2. Ask “what if”
Facilitate a meeting where you can bring your employees together every month and create a scenario at your workplace. Ask your team what they would do if they were approached with the scenario.
These “what if” meetings can improve your team’s analytical thinking and problem-solving skills while promoting creativity in the workplace.
Not sure where to start? Here are three ideas.
Problem-solving. “What if our compostable cup delivery is late?” This type of question can help your team think creatively about how to keep your customers happy — and caffeinated — with something goes wrong.
Strategic thinking. “What if a lead inventory associate is absent?” Your team will need to think about the position’s responsibilities and think of ways to work together to make sure that they are aware of which products are being sold, and being stocked while their team member’s away.
Crisis management. “What if our contact-free payment method suddenly disconnects during a transaction?” Allow your staff to navigate how they’ll approach the situation. If they ever mention needing your assistance, you’ll have a better idea of how you can teach your team helpful solutions during stressful shifts.
3. Host an offsite
Company offsites are useful for leaders to dedicate time and space for really important conversations you want to have with your team. But they seem to never have time for during your normal work hours.
Here are a few examples of how to make your offsite worthwhile.
Go rock climbing. Rock climbing lets both individuals and groups problem-solve to get to the top of a run. And at the same time, allows the team to cheer on their coworkers.
Take them to lunch. Enjoying a meal together can be a more comfortable environment to get to know each other and discuss important business updates with your staff. Plus, having lunch outside of work is always a breath of fresh air, especially if you work in a restaurant where you’re so used to typical staff meals.
Have a volunteer day. Dedicating a day to do some good can really bring a team closer. Survey employees to find out what causes are most important to them, and choose the most voted to support.
4. Use an icebreaker
Before you begin meetings with your staff, use an icebreaker so that staff members can get in the right mindset for what you’re about to discuss. Icebreakers are also great to use for training sessions with new employees, strengthening bonds between team members, and reducing tension at work.
The wrong ice breaker can leave your team disengaged and bored. But the right one can position you as a go-to leader. Here are three strong icebreakers to use at work.
Two truths and one lie. Play this simple game for your employees to get to know each other more. You’ll be surprised when a quieter employee is also a comedian in their off-hours.
Pop quizzes. See just how much your employees know about their workplace. Ask them two-five questions about your workplace’s mission, vision, and origin. If you’re seeing a lot of incorrect answers, it’s a telltale sign that you need to improve communication with your team.
Charades. Even though you’re used to playing this game at birthday parties and family get-togethers, this goofy activity can help your team bond with each other.
5. Explore your values
You hired your team for many reasons, one of which is that their personality and skills align with your business’s mission and values. In this activity, you can explore more of their important personal and professional values.
When you discuss your company values with the team, you can see several benefits. Here are just a few.
Initiate reflection. Have a better sense of how your team can learn from their experience at your workplace. You’ll then be able to present new opportunities that’ll help them grow.
Discuss how they can learn. Here’s where you can really show your support for your staff. The more you know the areas that need improvement, you can put yourself in their shoes and create new ways for them to build their skills.
Empathize with each other. This activity opens the floor for your team to get to know you and each other more. It’ll help you bond, and improve teamwork in the long run.
6. Advice from a Role Model
Use this activity to discuss leadership principles and practices that your employees admire. Get your team together and invite them to think of a role model. Ask them how they influence the way they work. It allows you to think of how you may need to change your managing style and reinvent the way you supervise and uplift your team.
To make the activity more engaging and thought-provoking, ask your employees to also:
Choose a team member as a role model. Add in some team bonding and give each other recognition for all the hard work they couldn’t finish without each other. It’ll exercise everyone’s feedback skills too.
Choose a customer as a role model. This will help you see just how much your employees dedicated their shift to delivering the best customer service. You can also think of new ways to make their journey at your workplace more enjoyable too.
Choose themselves as a role model. Boost your team’s confidence and they’ll be more motivated at work. If someone can’t come up with any reasons they admire themselves, you have that moment to talk about how you admire them.
Lead with confidence
Being a good leader requires courage and commitment. At the same time, it requires you to be open and flexible to meet the needs of your team and your customers. Dedicating time to your team and learning how you can help each other will not only make you a better manager but will also foster a community at work.
Want to learn more ways to support your staff? Download a free trial of Deputy and start today.
