Some days you leave the office, look around you, and it feels like ‘just another day, another dollar’ among the team. No one is smiling, chatting, motivated – no one is happy.
If it’s been a long, boring day (which is common in the current COVID environment), or an intensely stressful day, and things are feeling sluggish around the office, I want you to try out this technique…
STEP 1
Set up a 15min meeting for the whole team to come together.
STEP 2
Have each person in the meeting share something good that happened that day, and something bad if they want to as well. But emphasise the good rather than the bad things.
Essentially this is an exercise in giving the team the skill of recognising the good things that happen in a day.
I commonly work with sales executives fast-tracking their sales pipeline productivity and a common theme among them is the need to maintain a certain level of energy. Leaders might try physical exercise, or pep talks to get that energy up; but what’s useful is using small, repetitive practices that reprogram the mindset.
THE POWER OF MINI-WINS
I love mini wins because it doesn’t have to be a massive celebratory win. It can be something simple. The benefit is that firstly, you are training your team to look at something positive as well as building a state of positivity within the team.
To ensure the session is effective, you need to be mindful to allow everyone time to share while emphasising the happy and positive statements. You can prompt them by asking “what is one small thing that was good” or even “what is one small thing that was okay”. This will help them shift their low energy into a better place.
It is also helpful if you see a recurring pattern in the team. If over a week your team comes in and identifies a problem they’ve not been able to resolve, or in general everyone’s in a flat mood, you need to take action. The 15min session allows you to gauge your team’s mood and resolve what needs attention.
If you’re interested in transformation and looking for best practices to gradually change your ways of working, and the culture of your sales team, I have created a course which is a simplified version of what top-tier consulting firms are presenting to their clients. Explore the program here 60-min exec course.
Pro-tip: Don’t let anything go unresolved for more than three consecutive days. You must be a proactive leader and take action outside of a quick check-in.
I learned this method from a software house as this is how they end their day, by coming together and sharing their wins, ensuring everyone leaves the office on a more positive note. It is as simple as human conversation.
Remember, this is not about stand-ups and “what did I do”, “what did I get right”, “what did I achieve”. It is about how you feel. That is the significant distinction about checking out at the end of the day.
I hope this has given you some ideas. How do you implement positive mindsets in your team? As a sales leader, knowing what is going on in your team is the first step in being able to improve it.
If you know a team that experiences this share this video with them. We learn best when we receive something from those we know. It is much more useful than going to a course, reading a book or sitting in front of an instructor telling us what to do.
The more we learn together, the more we grow together.
Talk to you soon!
Shirin