Are you Really Listening and Valuing your Team?

I recently had the great pleasure of facilitating an event for a charity. The team I was working with had just gone through a restructure. On the day there were a couple of things that really struck me…

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The first was that this was a group of highly motivated people who were really passionate about the work they were doing within the organisation. They were also really inspired by the people they got to help and support on a daily basis.

The second was that the reason they were having this day was because there was a need for them to work together in a more integrated and collaborative way as a team. But somehow these two things seemed at odds with each other…

The crucial learning for this particular team and their managers could be summed up in 4 key points:

A team restructure can have a major impact negatively or positively on any team – how you do it will determine which outcome you get.
Whether the changes have been successfully implemented or not it is helpful to review.
When something isn’t working in a team, it isn’t helpful to let niggles and complaints fester without attention.
In times of stress listening and valuing each other often falls low on the list of priorities.

Does this sound familiar to your organisation? Groups or individuals who are highly motivated and passionate about their roles still need to be listened to. This ensures you can get to any issues before they start affecting performance and morale.

Call to action to transform your team

Through a restructure you need to consult those affected where possible; and communicate, communicate, communicate – and then remember to communicate some more.
When a major change has happened, at a defined period later you always need to pause, reflect, and review what has worked as well as what hasn’t and then adjust what you do going forward accordingly.
When something isn’t working in a team, it is rarely just one person or one group of people within the team who are ‘at fault’ – so provide a forum to identify an action plan with key accountabilities for making the changes that are needed.
People need space and time in which to be listened to generally however this is crucial in periods of change.
When things are busy, it can be easy to feel like there isn’t time to appreciate each other and value each other’s contribution. So find time to celebrate success and acknowledge individual contributions.

What might be stopping your team from working together successfully? In what way does this limit their motivation and potential?

Related blogs

3 Ways to Improve your Active Listening Skills— Listening is a really valuable skill and is about really hearing and processing what is being said to you. Here are to tips to help you be a better listener.
Pre-approval in Practice at TLC: Talk, Listen, Change — Watch this quick video where Michelle Hill from charity TLC talks about pre-approval in action.
What Makes a Great Manager? — Do you know what it takes to be a good manager or do people just get promoted into management roles whilst lacking the skills to manage?

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Cathy Busani

Cathy has been with Happy since March 1995 and shortly after took over the role of Group Managing Director, and is responsible for maintaining Happy’s award-winning and celebrated culture. As head of Happy’s Leadership and Personal Development, she is Lead Facilitator, executive coach, speaker and consultant with the aim of embedding positive behavioural change.

Her leadership purpose is to help others to be great at work. She is an inspiration to her staff and clients. Cathy has received recognition through several national awards, including a Special Commendation for Innovative Management in the Best Boss Competition and Finalist for Director of the Year in the 2018 London Venus Awards.