How to ‘radiate’ and boost morale

Are you a drain or a radiator on your team?

I know, it sounds a bit like pigeon-holing, but stay with me for a minute. Could you be “radiating” more in order to boost the morale of those around you while also improving your own well-being?

Giving back, whether by volunteering, helping a neighbour or simply some kind words offered with no expectation of any return, are proven to enhance overall well-being.

Think about the members of your team as having an emotional tank or radiator. When the radiator is full and working, they can feel ready and able to engage. When, due to a mixture or circumstance, their radiator has been bled dry, they are bound to struggle with motivation and enthusiasm.

We can’t change some of the external factors affecting us right now, but let’s focus on the things we can affect. Why don’t you focus on being a radiator today and see how it makes you and those around you feel?

Here are a few things to try with your team:

– Use your active listening skills and properly give colleagues your attention.

– Use affirming non-verbal communications like smiling and attentive body language.

– Give your colleagues honest and specific appreciation and praise. It needs to be genuine, consistent and spontaneous. Don’t wait for a one-to-one meeting, just pick up the phone or pop them an email as soon as you think of it.

– Provide recognition for work done well and the behaviours that got them there. Remember that work well done is not all about the end result. Even when the team has a perceived “failure”, acknowledge what they did do well in an environment of learning, not blaming.

Maybe you are doing these things already, or maybe you usually do them but have fallen off the wagon a bit with them recently. You won’t always be in a position to do so. But, if you can, why not go out there and be someone’s radiator today. It could just make the difference to them between struggling and managing.