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As a manager, it can be difficult to improve morale on your team if morale is not a priority of the agency as a whole, or if those around you and above do not support your efforts. However, even a middle manager can have great impacts on her team’s morale. Here are 3 tips for how to address morale on your team, even if you’re the only manager who cares to do so.
- Institute a few activities to increase and maintain strong morale that are sustainable for you. For example, if you want to do something to celebrate each employee’s birthday, choose something that is easy for you. Don’t set the expectation that you’ll bake cookies for every birthday if you don’t have time in your schedule to bake on a regular basis. Maybe picking up a card is feasible, and you can offer a personalized note in it. Remember, don’t make yourself stressed with the activities you choose as the gesture itself goes a long way.
- Keep on prioritizing your team’s morale even when it feels like no one prioritizes your morale. This is a common story. Even if those above you don’t pay attention to your morale, you have the opportunity to provide a different—a better—experience for your employees. Let the poor leadership stop with you. Although of course it would be wonderful if someone recognized your hard work and efforts, you shouldn’t need that to be able to do it for your team. You have your own brand of leadership, even if it feels like you’re on an island.
- To stay motivated, I’m giving you permission to take credit for your team’s high morale. Especially since you’re not getting recognition from above you, you should use the success you have with your team, and their high morale, as an indicator of your strong leadership abilities. And remember that it’s impressive to increase and maintain morale when no one else around you prioritizes it. Keep this in mind as motivation to keep on going.
Do you have experience addressing morale when people around and above you didn’t prioritize it? Tell us about it in the comments below.