Although we do not often make a direct link between the two, positivity influences profitability. We spend much of our time ensuring company cultures and people are positive to improve our profits in the long run.
It should not surprise us that positivity is linked to our success. When we feel good about ourselves and the results around us, we tend to feel motivated to keep going. That is why we enjoy playing games we are good at.
Ensuring positivity is high in organisations can be difficult. After all, it is difficult to measure the mood of your team because people can be dishonest about how they feel. Also, because it is difficult to measure, it can be hard to tell if our actions are truly reinforcing the positive environment we want.
The framework of positive management practices attempts to guide managers into building these environments. After all, we want to ensure that our people feel good at work so that we can get the best out of them.
Nevertheless, the model is complex and comprises six dimensions. Each dimension is linked to the psychology of respectful interactions amongst humans. These are:
Open Communication
Being open indicates to others that we trust them. Showing trust is essential if we want to create an environment of honesty. For the most part, being honest is enough to keep people on your side and engaged.
Therefore, regularly conversing with your team in an open way is encouraged to ensure that honesty is a thread that ties you all together.
Respectful Interaction
Although people are keen on promoting the ability to be yourself at work, respectful interactions are essential. Remaining professional and speaking in a formal way indicates fairness and allows for easier cooperation.
As managers, being a picture of what respectful interactions look like is key to keeping our team morale positive.
Managerial Competence
We often take competence to mean being an expert in a particular subject. However, the managerial competence your team is often looking for has nothing to do with how much you know.
Your team want you to be kind and advisory when you do not know all the answers. Pointing them in the right direction or being a guide in a time of trouble is enough to keep team morale high.
Interpersonal Support
The first three have a lot to do with how we build good working relationships, but this is less concerned with that. Being able to support your team members in a place beyond their work is a sign you genuinely care about the person.
Listening to their personal stories of joy and sadness is enough to give them the desire to speak up.
Intellectual Support
The fostering of ideas is an essential part of intellectual support. Instead of giving your team ideas, you should empower them to come up with their own.
Giving them space to work things out whilst enhancing their ideas is a way to build on the individuals feeling of magnificence.
Reasonable Instructions
Finally, giving your team clear instructions is helpful for your own judgement and theirs. A team that has clarity is often more likely to take part in discussions and solve problems.
So, being able to point your team in the right direction gives a sense of security which allows for better communication.
It is clear that all of these things are essential, but they can be easy to forget on our busy days at work. As managers that care, you probably all do a number of these things throughout the day, but it can be hard to remind yourself of when.
The economy is low, and people have a lot to complain about. Therefore, it is the small things that make the most difference. You may not be able to offer the pay rise or a job change, but you could take your team member out for lunch.
In this article, I will highlight some of the little things you can do to boost team morale and reinforce the positive environment we all need dearly.
The Little Things You Can Do
There have been many times I have not felt the desire to come to work or have lost belief in my ability. However, these five small things my managers have done before have brought me through rough times.
Laugh With Your Team
Some of the best moments at work are when you can have a genuine laugh with someone. We often make professional jokes or entertain small talk to be polite.
I have found creating moments where you can share laughter with your team will uplift the mood. Playing a game or telling them an embarrassing moment is enough to boost morale.
Endorse Your Teams Expertise
It is all well and good delegating activities to your team members, but choosing to endorse them is another matter. I have always felt better about my capabilities when a manager has told me that they trust me to complete a task.
Even better if they tell others that I am the right person for the job. Doing this will certainly boost your team member’s confidence.
Take on New Challenges With Your Team
One of the most rewarding things you can do with your team is taking on challenges. Most team-building activities encompass challenges for a reason. In a challenge, you are able to learn together and build memories.
So, think about ways to incorporate more challenges into your team’s day. That may be simply performing regular team challenges or thinking philosophically about a hard problem at work.
Do Boring Jobs Together
Contrary to taking on new challenges that can be exciting, doing boring jobs together is a great way to build team morale. One of the worst things I have found a leader to do is to give a job no one wants to do to someone.
Instead, doing it as a team can be amusing and shows your team you are willing to get your hands dirty. However, this is not always possible but should be done if it is.
Share Your Team’s Successes
Finally, one of the easiest things you can do is regularly show you are proud of what your team is doing. Share it with other managers and congratulate your team together, and on a personal level.
Closing Thought
These small things stay as memories in our heads and keep us motivated. The positivity starts with small actions and grows when those actions are repeated. So, start injecting little repeatable acts of positivity today.
References:
Becker, M. (2022). The Effect of Positive Management Practices on Firm Profitability — Evidence from Text Mining. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, p.002188632211208. doi:10.1177/00218863221120827.
