How to Engage Your Teams During Times of Uncertainty

Helping Staff Connect to Purpose

How do you maintain employee engagement and keep your team focused during times of uncertainty?

Here's a simple process we recently took a client through at their staff conference. 

We delivered a workshop session on how to connect their staff to purpose, and these were the steps we took them through. 

Step 1 - Identify What You Know and Don't Know

Take the time to take stock and identify "What do you know?" "What don't you know?"

Step 2 - What Are the Things You Can Influence?

Work through your list to identify the things you have influence over versus the things you have no control over.

Those items which you have no control over, park off to the side. Now, make sure you don't totally forget about those things - you still need to monitor them, however they don't become your primary focus.

Your focus are those things which you can influence. More specifically, your primary focus is about achieving your Purpose.

Step 3 - What's Your Overall Purpose?

Have each person write down what they think is the team/department/organisational purpose. What's the one main thing they're responsible for creating, giving or providing?

Once every has written down what they see it as being, have staff share their vision with everyone else (you might want to do this in groups). Collate your answers and bring it down to a single, simple statement.

Step 4 - Identify Team Key Results?

Once you have identified your overall purpose and objective, divide your staff into teams - either location or function based.

Have them work one or two key results that they can achieve, which will help bring the overall objective to life? 

Once they have identified their team Key Results ensure each team shares them with the whole group to create accountability.

Step 5 - Identify Individual Key Results?

Have each staff member work out the two or three key things that, as individuals, they can focus on and achieve which will contribute to their team's key results.

Make sure staff share these with teir team mates to ensure they can be held accountable. 

Let's Wrap This Up!

As you can see, it's a really simple, yet powerful cascading effect where individually, we're identifying two or three things which connect to our team, department organisational purpose.

'Connect' is one of Funergizers Key Principles of Emoloyee Engagement. Helping your staff to 'Connect' their daily tasks with the overall purpose, helps put meaning and understanding behind their work. It reminds them to stay focused on the BIG PICTURE instead of getting distracted by the small stuff!