by Dr. Steven M. Rumery (aka “Rum”)

Sluggish. Lethargic. Uninspired. If these words describe your team, you are not alone. In fact, many leaders are struggling right now to fire up their teams to focus on the challenges (and opportunities) ahead. In normal times, this time of year is the kick-off to the big event. By now, all of the pre-season investments in time and effort (and Advil) have been made. It’s now game day, and the team should be excited to take the field. Yet, this year, many leaders are finding their teams struggling to move from planning to action.

Why is that?

In part, it is because team members are not feeling as connected with one another on the core mission. There have been, of course, a host of factors that have driven this wedge between team members and their mission, whether it be Covid-19, politics, social justice issues, or plain old life events conspiring to make a scene. Whatever the reason(s), many teams are feeling like they have lost their edge and team members are feeling disconnected and de-energized.

What can you do?

Restore. In times like these, leaders should adopt a restorative leadership style. Restorative leadership focuses on rebooting the emotional commitment of team members to the mission by helping team members identify and prioritize what they value. Restorative leaders, those who adopt a restorative leadership style, accomplish this by rekindling the importance of the mission from the perspective of individual team members, and then creating the space for team members to make the decision to opt-in. By stoking the fires of the mission, and nudging people to make their own decision to commit, the engagement batteries of team members begin to recharge.

And not only do restorative leaders recharge the batteries of team members, they rebuild them bigger. Bigger batteries are essential for team members to remain engaged for the whole game, not just the first quarter. Restorative leaders target two critical things that turn emotional commitment to sustained action.

First, restorative leaders build each team member’s Drive to Thrive by helping restore each persons sense of hope and optimism, resilience, and openness to new experiences and relationships. This gives them the will to push through to the end of the game.

Second, restorative leaders build a personal Sense of Control with each team member by helping restore their sense of personal power. This personal power equips people with the self-confidence they need to affect the world around them by leveraging the knowledge and experience they have, to strive for excellence, to be proactive, and to influence the people around them. It gives them the sense that they have a say in the future.

If you are a leader that wants to recharge your team’s Engagement Battery and rebuild your team’s Drive to Thrive and Sense of Control, learn how to become a Restorative Leader. You can learn more about Restorative Leadership here at The Credible Leader and by taking the Restore self-assessment.