As Director and Head Coach at Kingfisher Advisory, Yvette is passionate about helping our clients shape their future through implementing consulting solutions based on the latest in neuroscience, positive psychology and Gallup’s strengths and engagement sciences. She has spent over a decade coaching and consulting to many ASX Top 500 and other companies around Australia and NZ in the areas of Strengths-Based Leadership, Employee Engagement, Wellbeing and Behavioural Economics.

‘I get out of bed every morning to help people at work give their best, stay motivated, and get great things done by creating solid relationships, stellar careers, and superior results’.

A common problem we are hearing from leaders across the property industry is that they are struggling to get their team motivated to get back into the office this year.

With all of last year’s lockdowns it seems that, for a lot of us, work has become something we now fit around the rest of our lives rather than being the bedrock of our days.

There is no doubt that Covid-19 has dramatically and forever changed the way we work. When we recently surveyed a selection of companies across the built environment, 35% said they felt there is no more need for a centralised office with it now being proven people can work effectively from home. However, that view is not shared by the majority; over 60% of business leaders plan to return their teams to an office-based workplace structure. Team morale and productivity are the main reasons to do so, with improved client interaction and work capabilities also cited as core motivations to get team members back in the office. 

Not everyone seems to share these leaders’ opinions though. After working from home for so long in 2020, especially for our Victorian colleagues, we are hearing that managers are struggling to justify to their teams why they should grapple with public transport and make the commute to the office multiple days per week. 

So, what can you do if you are one of these leaders and are wondering how you can boost engagement and performance of your team by getting them back into the office? How do you get your team back together and focused on providing great products and services for your clients?

There are three main things you can do now to light that spark of enthusiasm that helps teams come together, produce great work, and boost profitability for your business.

1)     Refresh your purpose and clarify your values.

This may sound too simple to have any real effect on performance. However, clarifying the bigger vision of why you do what you do can help connect the people on your team in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Simon Sinek says it best when he suggests ‘people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’. This does not just work for your customers; it works equally as well for your team members.

As soon as a company’s WHY is put into words, the culture becomes a little more tangible and team behaviours adapt to align with the company’s vision. 

The reason this works is that our brains light up when we hear stories. Well before the written word, we used stories to unite tribes and create cultures around what was important for us.

Your purpose, when articulated clearly, should be a compelling story for your people to rally around. It is the motivation behind your service or product and the mission you stand for. Your purpose, when spoken aloud, is what makes team members proud to be part of your tribe. Your values, when shared, are what drive the right behaviours for you to achieve your vision as a business.

When you discuss your core purpose and values with your team members, you reenergise them with the promise of the value they help create in the world. This can help them reconnect with your central purpose and choose to physically be back in the thick of your tribe.

2)     Connect their individual efforts to your business outcomes.

Everyone wants to feel like their job is important. If they feel like they are just a cog in a wheel, you will not get the discretionary effort that comes from a fully engaged team member.

Take the time to connect 1:1 with your people and show them the value of their contribution to business success. This will help them feel recognised and appreciated. It also gives you a chance to better understand their individual motivations - what they enjoy about their role, what lights them up, and what frustrates them. When you know this, you have a much better chance of speaking to their core motivations.

Understanding their WIIFM – ‘what’s in it for me’. When returning to the office this can help you encourage them to be present while also allowing you to support them in overcoming any frustrations that may be preventing them from fully engaging in their role again this year.

This knowledge can also allow you to align their individual motivations with your team and business goals. This is a simple but not always easy thing to do. It is worth the effort though, because when you get this right you will have an energised, productive workforce across your entire business.

3)     Lead by example by creating as many ‘collision moments’ throughout your week as you can.

Collision moments are those moments where you physically ‘collide’ with your colleagues – not literally knock into them, but where you come face to face and have those micro-moments of bonding and camaraderie that helps to energise, engage us all.

The late and great ex-CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh talks about the power and value of ‘collisions – serendipitous encounters that happen throughout the working day which help create community – enhancing team culture and camaraderie across your business. Studies show that random encounters throughout the day increase both innovation and productivity.

When team members work from home full time, it is much harder to build these valuable collisions into your day. As a result, people are bombarded with hours of video calls and have now created a new workplace phenomenon – zoom-fatigue.

When you show up, excited yourself to be back in the office, you send vital belonging cues to your people. It allows you to utilise the extra conversations and natural collisions that happen throughout the day to move projects on, answer questions from your people and check in with them on a personal level. As a leader, your job is to encourage your team to do the same.

In summary, to help boost productivity and team engagement, reconnect your team with your purpose and values and share the enthusiasm you have as a leader in delivering the great products and services your business is known for. Align individual motivation with team and business goals, and then emphasise the value in collision moments - the energy, creativity and support that only happens when we are face to face and all working together to create great things in the world.