Our perspective is constantly shifting based on life experience. And life experience is changing rapidly these days.
In our current environment, business leaders face the challenge of building a shared perspective that energizes teams to move forward while dealing with the issues that the pandemic and social unrest have presented.
As in everything, communication is key.
Communication with Yourself: Communication is not only what you say to others, it also is what you say to yourself. The ability of self talk to influence mood and stress levels is a well documented phenomenon. Research shows that positive self talk can improve problem solving and reduce the harmful effects of stress.
Positive self talk is a practice. Whether it is starting your day with a positive affirmation, using a meditation app or reading an inspirational passage, striving to shift your inner dialogue can be beneficial to sustaining your strength.
Communication with Your Team: As a business leader, the communication with your team influences their perspective. We are currently living in a world of Zoom fatigue. Technology has enabled communication across distance barriers in ways that previous generations couldn't have imagined. It has also demonstrated how the nuance of communication can be lost when we are all talking heads on a screen.
Using a balance of team building activities and opportunities for authentic dialogue will help your team build unity.
Ideas for virtual, creative team building abound. Taking some time to break the routine can energize your team. Quiz days, background contests, virtual lunches are all ways to help pull a team together. Find some more ideas here.
Regularly scheduled meetings that allow your team to discuss how they view the changing work environment offers an opportunity to gain insight to their perspective and can provide a guide to build common ground. Assessing your company’s culture to determine if these discussions are best held individually or as a group is essential. Making Deep Connections with Remote Teams, is a guide created by Zoom during COVID-19 which has ideas that can help jumpstart these discussions.
What do you tell yourself every morning on your way to work (even if going to work means just walking up the stairs)? Does it support a positive perspective?
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