By Kirstie McFarlane
Much attention is given to ensuring that teams have the right combination of skills, knowledge and competence to be able to deliver on their mandates. Another vital component which needs to be added to this mix is energy. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual/purpose energies are the fuel which drives the team’s capacity to deliver. These energies can be expanded and replenished throughout the day by creating habits and changes that stick.
Successful teams sustain consistent high performance amidst rapid change and relentless pressure by incorporating daily replenishing habits in these four energies – understanding that recovering energy is as important as expending it.
Here are some of the daily energy management rituals which teams can adopt to protect, sustain, and replenish their energy:
Emotional energy depletes when a team experiences negative emotions like frustration, impatience, irritability, and resentment. Teams can balance this by consciously focusing on their opposites - calm, engagement, focus, confidence, and optimism.
Create a supportive team environment which honours everyone’s opinion, views constructive conflict as necessary and invites team members to share how they react when under pressure and what they need from the team when this happens.
World-renowned management consultant and author Margaret Wheatley believes that “In organisations, real power and energy is generated through relationships”. And maintaining positive working relationships within teams requires a significant reservoir of positive emotional energy.
We all know the importance of getting sufficient sleep, hydration, and exercise to increase our physical capacity and there is a definite link between health and productivity. Teams can support each other by sharing tasks, having walk-and-talk meetings, branded water bottles, sit-stand desks, and promoting taking micro-breaks throughout the day.
Meditation, breath work, and tech-free zones are excellent ways to replenish our mental energy by helping us to avoid distractions and increase focus, and deep-thinking/reflection time.
Creating clear boundaries between work and home life has become even more important as teams navigate the work-from-home, work-from-anywhere hybrid world of work.
The difference between being productive and just busy depends on the team having a strong and clear purpose and directly impacts creativity, innovation and motivation.
Practising gratitude, engaging in activities which the team enjoys, and ensuring that each team member has time with loved ones replenishes spiritual/purpose energy.
When teams feel strong and resilient, they perform better. Teams thrive, individuals thrive and the organisations that employ them thrive.
At Teamery we are passionate about building better teams and we’d love to chat with you about taking time to rest and recover as a team. You can contact us here.