At CMB, our business thrives on collaboration, quality, and transparency. We understand that our success is not solely dependent on the excellence of our products but also the well-being and energy levels of our valued team members. Just as we prioritize creating top-notch battery products, we also prioritize ensuring that our employees’ metaphorical batteries are charged and ready for optimal performance.
We’ve discussed ways you can charge your colleagues’ metaphorical batteries in part one and part two of our How To Energize Your Team To Increase Productivity series, but it’s just as important to recognize ways you may unwittingly be draining your colleagues’ batteries and unraveling all that good you’ve been doing. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you’re not contributing to the stress or burnout of your fellow team members.
Respect boundaries.
Collaboration is at the heart of our company, but it’s essential to recognize and respect the boundaries of our colleagues. For all work relationships to thrive, we need to set boundaries with one another and respect those boundaries. This can help prevent feeling overworked, taken advantage of, or burnt out. With that said, make sure you’re honoring your team members’ boundaries. Some examples of ways you can do this include setting reasonable and achievable deadlines for yourself and/or your team members, delivering your assignments on time, ensuring you’re not delegating or offloading too much work onto one person, honoring off-the-clock hours, and giving people enough uninterrupted time and space to focus on their tasks.
It’s okay to vent, but don’t do so excessively.
Venting to colleagues about work stressors can be a perfectly natural and healthy behavior. It can help us release our emotions to avoid deflecting them onto the wrong people. That being said, make sure you’re not constantly unloading your problems onto your colleagues. This can be challenging when you’re struggling with an ongoing concern or a difficult long-time client, for example, but remember, your colleagues have their stressors they’re trying to manage, and they may not always have the capacity to take on yours. If you have a serious work concern that’s affecting your happiness or mental health, make sure you’re voicing it to the appropriate personnel so it can be addressed properly. Try to consider what actions you can take to resolve the issue, as opposed to relying on vent sessions just to tolerate the issue.
Look for verbal and physical cues.
When chatting with colleagues, be aware of the verbal and physical cues they give you to indicate their state of mind. If you see signs that your coworker might be tired, distracted, or antsy, it might be time to wrap up your conversation. If their answers get shorter as you continue about the same topic, that might be an indicator that either their social battery is starting to run low, they’re struggling to find more to contribute to the topic, or they’re eager to get back to work. If your colleague is checking their phone, glancing at their inbox, or lacking follow-up questions, these can also be indicators that they need some time on their own.
Be self-sufficient.
We all need a little help sometimes, but before running to your coworkers to ask where a client file is located or when the next team meeting will be taking place, take a moment to ask yourself if you can answer the question at hand before involving others. Open communication is important for a work team to be successful, but remember to respect your colleagues’ time and energy by taking preliminary steps to problem solve or find answers before resorting to asking for assistance.
Spread a little positivity.
Negativity can be exhausting to be around, so consider bringing a dose of positivity into the workplace. This isn’t to say that you need to be cheery 24/7 or bring balloons and cookies to work every week, but try not to dwell on the negative too often. Instead, consider ways you can spread a little positivity to help brighten your colleagues. Remind them of the unique skills and attributes they bring to the team, and take advantage of opportunities to boost their self-esteem when possible. As opposed to draining their batteries, you just might end up charging them.
By embracing these practices, we uphold CMB’s values of collaboration, quality, and transparency while ensuring that our team members remain energized and engaged. Just as our batteries power devices reliably, our collective energy powers our company’s success. Let’s continue to support each other and thrive together.
For more insights on maintaining team energy and enhancing collaboration, visit our blog or reach out to us with any questions. Together, we’ll continue to make a positive impact, both within our company and beyond.
