The Positive Energy Workplace

Develop yourself and your people - NOW. Now is the time to take advantage of some of the space you may have in your schedules and bandwidth to actually develop the people in your company. It may seem counterintuitive, but it can provide you with a stronger foundation so that when things pick up or more challenges arise, you're all better armed for it. There are a couple of ways I look at this: 1) Develop them while there's time, energy and bandwidth, 2) Give them something to focus on together that will move them forward in the long run and help them be better leaders, salespeople, designers, human beings, communicators, etc. Whatever the case, give them tools, resources and space to do so. Not only will it help them and make them feel seen and appreciated, it will strengthen your own bottom line, 3) Now is a great time to inspire people to lead, take initiative and grow themselves. It inspires people to be better at working with each other. Gives them common language and purpose, and invites them to step into a bigger place. When morale could take a huge dive, giving people the tools and resources to better themselves will boost morale and result in a higher level of personal ownership for your company's outcomes. BTW, you don't have to do this alone, and it doesn't have to break the bank.

Work with your team. Talk about what's going on. Be open about it. Invite them into the conversation. Tell the truth (be aware of and response-able for your impact here.) Brainstorm solutions. Give them ownership for creating solutions that will help you move through challenges together.

Mission & Vision. Why are you in business? Why does your company exist? What's the impact you want to have? What's the overall vision here? Do you remember? Do you have one? Are you clear on where you're going? Individually, as a team? What are your shared values that will get you there? You can have more than one vision, for different areas of your life, but if you don't have at least one - it's going to be hard to get there. Having a mission, vision and shared values can pull you through times of adversity (and make it more fun in the process which in my opinion is a really good thing.)

Make a plan. Nothing breeds greater clarity and a sigh of relief like actually making a plan. Whatever your current situation is - what's your plan? Doesn't have to be perfect - just jot down some next steps, get into action, and be awake in the process so you know when you need to make a left turn or switch gears.

Acknowledge. A close cousin to gratitude. What's your team going through right now? How are they showing up? Who are they "being" in the face of challenge and unknown outcomes? How can you be more helpful to them?