E is for Enthusiasm – building a great Team

Building a great Team is not easy but absolutely doable. Let’s explore the quality of Enthusiasm in a Team.

(If you missed the T for Trust post, you can read it by clicking this link.)

What do you mean by Enthusiasm in a Team

Have a think what makes a Team enthusiastic? Can you picture such a Team – maybe you were or are in one?

An Team that shows enthusiasm is one that others want to be part of – they have a certain aura about themselves!

This is what we mean by having enthusiasm in a Team:

• your Team members exhibit passion for what they do, and what everyone else in the Team does
• they are happy for everyone’s achievements – big and small
• they root for each other – the Team members are keen to see others succeed
• an enthusiastic Team respects each other; this is shown in how they speak to each other, how they speak about each other, how they listen to other members

Sounds great! How do I achieve that?

Building enthusiasm in a Team starts with ensuring everyone knows their purpose and role in the Team and organisation. If everyone is aligned on the goals, they are more likely to be enthusiastic about achieving them together.

It will also be more difficult to instill enthusiasm in a Team if there is no Trust – which is why we wrote about Trust in the other post.

You as a leader can start by showing the enthusiasm yourself. Show that you are rooting for others and for them achieving the goal. Speak about how proud you are of not only reaching the desired outcome but also about the steps that it’s taken – or taking – to get to that outcome.

Equally importantly is to show support when things are not going great. This is where you come in and demonstrate that it’s ok to make mistakes and learn from them. Even when something has gone south, you are still enthusiastic about the Team member(s) because you believe in them.

The rest of the Team will observe your example – the right level of enthusiasm starts with you.

What if not everyone is so keen

It is most rewarding if you have the whole Team in sync and rooting for each other. And this is absolutely possible to achieve.

Sometimes, however, you will have a person or two who for any reason don’t exhibit that same enthusiasm. What do you do then? Because – let’s be clear – you do need to do something about this situation. Why? Because one person with a different attitude can affect the whole Team.

Ok, so what do we do?

We start by having a chat with them to understand their attitude. This may not be an easy conversation, but you need to have a clear understanding for the reasons behind the behaviour.

Next – it could be in the same conversation – explain to your Team member what your expectations are of them. This is where you can clarify why certain behaviours, statements or actions are not helpful, and which ones are.

Always offer your help. One of my favourite statements in such situations is “Let’s do it together”. This translates to you showing that you are here to help them – via constructive feedback or coaching. However, be clear that the actual work has to be done by the Team member.

(Here’s a link to a good LinkedIn article about handling a disruptive team member)

What is building enthusiasm in a Team about? An Enthusiastic Team is not laughing and all smiles all the time. It’s a Team that cheers on its members, it’s where their leader – that’s you! – supports everyone while striving to achieve the same goal that every person is a clear understanding of.

If you’d like to learn more, how about reading A Learning Leader’s Book?

Feature Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash