Q&A: How Can I Motivate My Team During This Pandemic?

Question: Since shelter-in-place orders, revenue is down and so is my team’s productivity. The team doesn’t really speak up so I’m not sure how they’re really doing. I don’t tell them how rough things are financially, but they can probably tell. How can I stop feeling anxious and keep everyone motivated? – Silicon Valley tech founder

Answer: I’ve had some version of this conversation with many of my founder clients recently. Just when you need all hands on deck during a pandemic/recession, your team loses their can-do attitude. This is normal human behavior in a crisis of this magnitude, but you can help them come around by humanizing your remote workplace. 

Research shows that when people feel supported – not judged, criticized or pressured – they are far more likely to transform their stress into learning and motivation.

Five strategies to nudge you – and them – in the right direction:

1.     Talk to your team. They’ll make up stories in the absence of updates from you. If you’re trying to put on bravado when you’re really anxious, they’ll sense your insincerity. 

Be a little vulnerable.

Share some current challenges or concerns, without necessarily going into specific numbers. This one action provides multiple benefits: humanizes you, makes them trust you more, models this helpful behavior, and makes it feel safer for them to open up too. The key to making this work: Don’t come across as hopeless, angry or blaming of others. Inspiring, effective leaders take responsibility for their circumstances, observe the real obstacles, and face them as bravely as they can. Always end optimistically like: “But I’m confident we’ll figure out a way through this, especially if we support each other and work together.”

2.     Listen to your team. You’ve hopefully set the stage (see above) to make them feel comfortable in sharing their own concerns and challenges. 

Double down on empathy throughout this crisis. 

In every one-on-one (and don’t skip any), ask how they’re doing and let them talk. Ask about their families. Find out if they’re quarantined alone. If they’re not revealing much and something seems “off”, try reflecting what you see and hear in a caring, concerned manner: “You’ve seemed kind of preoccupied lately, Cecelia. I know it’s a stressful time for everyone. How are things going for you?” “Is there anything else on your mind, Ravi? Any concerns?” Then be present for them and really listen. Show compassion. Ask how you can support them. Check in with your team at least weekly in this way – or more often if you see a change in performance, attendance or attitude. Things can change quickly during a drawn-out crisis. Have your managers do the same with their teams.

3.     Adjust your expectations of your team. Unless you’re Zoom, trying to scale this year may be an absurd notion. For many startups, aiming to stay alive or just maintaining what you’ve built is more realistic. Likewise, if your company is struggling or your people are overstressed outside work, now is also probably not the time to expect a lot of directed personal development from them like transforming their weaknesses. Psychotherapists warn that we’re in a collective trauma. Surviving such a difficult time makes most people grow, change and become more resilient, but that can be thwarted by your adding pressure when they’re unstable as it is. There are already plenty of forces working on them. 

You can do more damage if you push them hard now. 

Instead, motivate them more intrinsically by evoking their self-awareness, sense of compassion and collaboration to survive and thrive. Say: “Let’s help each other get through this. What support could you really use? Here’s the support I could really use.” Investing in coaching for them (and yourself) can be useful for extra support. By listening to them empathically on a routine basis, you won’t have to guess if and when they’re ready for a bigger goal.

4.     Rally your team around the flag. Discuss what the company has going for it in these times, including them. Talk about what new opportunities this situation has presented and what you’re excited about. 

Give them something to feel motivated about right now: why their work matters. Why they matter.

Remind them how your mission makes a difference and has purpose right now. Connect your message to the company’s core values. Keep pointing to the top of the mountain, where you’re leading them. Repeat regularly.

5.     Show your team extra appreciation. You can’t guarantee there won’t be layoffs or pay cuts, but if you often express your appreciation and praise for them, they’ll feel more secure. When they stop worrying so much about their job or the company’s prospects, that’s two things that won’t be occupying space in their head or contributing to their stress so they can sleep better and focus on work again. 

Be generous with both public and private acknowledgement and gratitude, highlighting people’s strengths and accomplishments.

Experiment: 

Scan through these five strategies again and come up with a few ways for each that you can up your game with your team. Then try it. Note the impact, tweak your technique and use what works.

Bottom line: 

What’s essential here is putting people first in a crisis rather than the business outcome you want. Fortunately, and perhaps paradoxically, this approach (if not taken to an extreme) usually both preserves the most humanity and supports a better business outcome in the long run.