How to Motivate Your Team and Reduce Stress in Less than 7 Minutes a Day

The world has been turned upside down these last few years. From large companies like Virgin Atlantic, Hertz, and Gold’s Gym that went bankrupt to your favorite restaurant around the corner that couldn’t make ends meet, lockdown regulations have hit us hard.

Navigating safely through these stormy waters has been a challenge for most leaders. They need to ensure strategic targets are met while being under tremendous pressure. It’s no surprise that 60% of leaders and 86% of high-potential employees are at risk of burnout.[1] To keep the ship sailing, the captain and crew must give it their all to make it.

Exhaustion and stress can hurt your company from the inside out. Leaders lose focus and empathy, and employees lose motivation, resulting in less productivity and lower morale in the company.

[1] Global Leadership Forecast 2021

On top of that, the fear and anxiety instigated by the media makes people feel insecure about their future. As so many go out of business or downsize, they worry, “Will my company make it, or will I lose my job? How am I going to pay bills and feed my children?” What can leaders do to reduce stress for themselves and their teams?

Here are 5 practical tactics to reduce stress and create an uplifting work environment:

1. Smile

A smile is like a ray of sunshine that brightens the day. Have you noticed how nice it is when people smile at you? The best way to receive lots of smiles is by giving lots of smiles. Smile at your spouse when you wake up in the morning, smile at yourself when you look in the mirror, smile at your kids when you drop them off at school, smile when you walk into the office, smile at the grumpy man in the elevator, smile at anyone who crosses your path – and watch the world around you transform.

You see, often it’s not the problem we face that makes us feel stressed, but our perspective on the problem. The more you smile, the more positive and confident you’ll feel about your ability to solve the problems that come your way. Keep smiling and you see for yourself how the magic of your smile not only changes your life but the life of every person you touch.

2. Love and Laugh Lots

Laughing is an amazing natural medicine. It not only reduces feelings of stress and brightens your mood; it is also great for your health. A study shows that laughter strengthens your immune system by increasing the immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, which improves resistance to illness.[1]

Wouldn’t you agree that you feel lighter after a good laugh and realize that things are not as serious as we tend to make them? You’ll be surprised to see that the more unserious you become, the easier it is to come up with new ideas and the better your results will be. So, bring out the jokes and get others to laugh more too! Work becomes more fun and enjoyable.

[1]https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter#2

3. Reach Out to Others & Share Good News

When you feel stressed, the tendency is to withdraw in your office and tell people to leave you alone. Problems can consume you, and you can lose interest in what’s happening around you. Only by doing that, you’re making your space smaller – and consequently, reduce your ability as a leader to influence others, so instead of withdrawing reach out to others.

Relationships are key and not only for your success as a leader. Relationships define your happiness, health, longevity, and wealth. Before you buckle down to tackle the problem, you’re dealing with briefly reach out to a few people on your team and find out how they are doing and share good news with them. It will help you create space in your mind to take a fresh approach.

4. Go On a ‘Bad News Diet’

The media likes to spread fear and bombards us with bad news as this is what sells. But does it improve your life to watch the latest drama on the news or read the newspaper? So, why not give yourself a break and go on a “bad news diet” for 7 days. Cut out all bad news from the TV, radio, newspapers, and social media, and don’t listen to any bad news stories from friends, family, or coworkers.

Instead, share good news whenever you can. Explain to people that you’re on a ‘bad news diet” and ask them to share a good news story. Celebrate successes with your team. Validate their achievements and wins and get them to share good news too. Go beyond the workplace, reach out to your mom, sister, and friends. Share good news with them too, tell them how much you appreciate them. The more you shine your light, the happier you’ll be.

5. Enjoy the Outdoors!

Our ancestors didn’t sit on a desk all day looking at a computer screen, spending hours on their cell phone, or watching TV. It’s become normal in our society to live indoors, yet bodies need physical activity and fresh air. Whether you go for a walk in the park, hiking in the mountains, or cycling in the forest, spending time outside in nature is a great way to reduce stress, and improve your mood, and well-being.

There are a bunch of studies that show how beneficial outdoor activities are but do we really need researchers to tell us? How does being in nature make you feel? Who doesn’t enjoy watching a beautiful sunset walking on the beach with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore? Make it a priority to get outdoors to recharge and refresh.

These tactics are not complicated, yet very effective. The problem is, they are easy to do and easy not to do. If you want to see results you have to apply them. Pick one and start today. Once you’ll experience the joy for yourself, you’ll be motivated to continue and add more tactics.

Share this blog post with the senior leadership in your company, with your team, family, and friends. You’ll help them to improve their lives and together we can make a difference in the world. Just imagine what an amazing company culture it will be when everyone smiles more, feels less stressed, and shares only good news.

We’d love to work with you and help you build a strong and effective leadership team that can carry your company through any storm and forward your strategic vision.