Your job is to inspire and fire up your team members during tough times. No excuses. No ifs. No buts.

Unless your workplace is on another planet, you should expect a wave of change will sweep up your company. They will announce some kind of downsizing, merger, or a takeover.

So, if you are not going through a change process, brace yourself. Disruption or disturbance is on the way! And it doesn’t matter how great you are doing now, things will shift soon or later.

That said, when it’s your turn, rest assured that the solution is not more training, skills, or consultants. You don’t want to trigger even more aggravation. Your employees don’t want to hear your pontificating about embracing change either.

They intuitively know how to navigate the waves of change. It’s an instinct that’s programmed in their nervous system. They know how to rise above their challenges.

They already have the creativity to solve their toughest problems. They have been through some turbulent changes throughout their lives.

What your team members need from you is more inspiration. They need uplifting. They need you to boost their morale. They need what I called an ICU. That stands for the following: Injection. Communication. Unification.

I.C.U. : Injection. Communication. Unification

3 Ways To Boost Morale In The Workplace

1. Injection: Inject Your Employees With High Doses Of Dopamine

When morale is low, employees are stressed and discouraged. They don’t have the drive to keep pressing on. Their brain secretes cortisol which is a poison that causes all kinds of diseases in the body.

As a leader, you need to turn on the dopamine switch in their brain. Dopamine is a feel-good drug that boosts morale, elevates moods, and a host of other benefits.

“Appreciation is the elevator that lifts teams up in the workplace.”

We should naturally get into the habit of praising and appreciating others. In fact, in my keynote presentation, I propose we should start an APPRECIATION MOVEMENT in every workplace. That’s a surefire way to boost morale and inspire team members.

You want to have a lot of quick morale-boosting meetings as your company is going through the change transition. Let your employees know how much you appreciate them.

Praise them for their courage, creativity, and patient through this change. Let them know how important they are to the company.

Seek Their Support

Solicit their inputs and feedback, so they can feel they are a contribution to the change process. As the saying goes,

“People support what they help create.”

They have the attitude, “I’m a part of it. I will do my absolute best to make sure we succeed.” Make sure you publicly recognize great ideas and feedback.

Every time you get a chance to praise and appreciate anyone individually, do so. Make them feel good about themselves. Give them a shot of dopamine.

Make no mistake, some of your team members are already thinking about quitting. Most people have a low tolerance for high pressure. Those tiny dopamine shots will go along way. The number one job of a leader is to uplift and inspire. You need to make others feel good about themselves.

2. Communication: Never Leave Your Staff In The Dark

Nobody wants to be left in the dark. Your employees are already afraid the worst might happen. They are scared. They worry that their position might be eliminated.

It’s horrifying to think a change process might cause your job to be eliminated; something that can disrupt your entire life.

If you are not informing and communicating with your team members on what’s going on, they will draw their own conclusion. The mind abhors a vacuum. It will fill the gap with more fear.

If you don’t know what’s going on, don’t pretend. Tell your team members you don’t know. Assure them as soon you get any information, you will communicate it.

You are essentially telling them we are in the same boat. That should make everyone feels better about the situation.

That said, the moment you know something, immediately communicate it. They will trust you more.

3. Unification: Help Them Bond With Each Other

When times are tough, you must solidify your team. Create a family atmosphere. Refer to them as the family. You have to make them feel there’s a bond. You might even refer to your customers as the community when talking to your team.

According to Abram Maslow, one of the most profound psychological needs people have is “the need to belong.” You want to make them feel like we are all in this together, and we can pull through.

A by-product of this strategy is that you are creating what is called the pain of disconnection. What that means is, team members will not quit because of the family or the community bond.