Does your team blame, complain about, and fail to support you when you need them most? Do you wish you had a way to change these behaviours and inspire your team instead? Of course, you do. We all do.
But the answer might not be what you think…
Your team is a reflection of you. If you want to change your team, change yourself first. It’s never about paying them more, or having team building activities, or buying cookies, or being nice or firm with them. It’s all about you.
Told you – it’s not what you think, and it’s not what most people think.
So how can you inspire your team and get them to work together? The truth is, you can’t. Period. It’s between them, and them only. But what’s unnerving is that you still want to control them, right?
You can’t think for them, just like you can’t force them to do anything or to like you.
But here is what you can do: appreciate your team for who they are, and for the individuality and personality they bring to your business. Learn their strengths, then figure out how you can make those strengths work for you, not against you.
Think of it as the radio in your car: you can choose to tune into drama, competition, and conflict, which will, in turn, cause them to start acting out those behaviours towards each other (and back at you). Or, you can choose to tune into a personal appreciation of everything they bring to the table, and create a receptive atmosphere of cooperation.
Everyone in your team has the intention of feeling good and doing well at work. Everyone wants to be better, and everyone has the potential to contribute to your workplace.
Take a moment to do the following exercise: get a notebook and the top of each page write the name of each staff member. Then, underneath each person’s name, write one or two things that you appreciate about them. If you’re finding it hard to write something you appreciate about a particular employee – try looking at it from a different angle. For example, you can try to appreciate how stubborn and strong-willed they are; attributes like these don’t always have to be negative qualities. Do this exercise each morning before you get started with work, and keep doing it every day. Soon, you’ll have tons of reasons why your employees are the best, how great your workplace is, and how they can all work together to benefit your company.
Next, it’s important that you bring this positivity back into your workplace to show your team that you support and believe in them. As you interact with them, start rewarding them with verbal compliments, like: “That’s brilliant,” “That’s exactly right,” “That’s just what we are looking for,” “That’s a great way to look at that,” or “Thank you for that.” Take note of how your employees react to your supportive words. Odds are, you’ll see their dispositions make a turn for the positive, their output increase, and the overall mood of your workplace improve.
Once you shift, your team shifts. They are the reflection of you. You are now tuned to a different radio station, and your team is tuning to you.
In Part 2, we will continue this topic by exploring the concept of the “Mirror” and how to create the reality you want.
Would you like to discover how to avoid burnout, stress, and overwhelm in your practice? Would you like to attract more patients?
Book a complimentary call today.
