As a business leader, building energy in your team is crucial to maintaining productivity, engagement, and ultimately, success.  When your team members feel energized, motivated, and excited about their work, they're more likely to produce quality work and collaborate better.  Here are five recommendations on how to build more energy in your team.

Set clear goals and expectations

One of the main reasons why team members may lack energy and motivation is that they don't understand the goals or expectations set for them. As a team leader, it is your responsibility to clearly communicate the goals and expectations for each project or task. This helps team members understand their role and feel motivated to contribute towards the overall goal.  Remember the importance of setting clear goals (specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused and time-bound) and revisiting them on a regular basis.  Use your performance coaching skills to keep the focus and identify and remove obstacles. 

Create a Positive Work Environment

Creating a positive work environment is essential for building energy in your team. This means fostering an atmosphere of trust, respect, and appreciation. It also means providing a physical space that is comfortable, bright, and inspiring. A positive work environment encourages creativity, collaboration, and innovation. 

It's also important for you to focus on acting as a "thermostat" rather than a "thermometer", intentionally setting a positive "temperature" or tone in the office.  Leading can be stressful but always keep in mind that employee performance is easily influenced by how they perceive you and your outlook.

Encourage Open Communication

Effective communication is critical for building energy in your team. As a team leader, you should encourage open communication by creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, opinions, and concerns. This helps to build trust and encourages collaboration, which in turn increases energy and motivation.

Do your best to be intentional and proactive in your communication, sharing as much information as possible, while recognizing that some things need to remain confidential until the timing is right.  The key here is to make sure that employees see you as open to sharing rather than holding everything close to the vest. 

Foster a Culture of Learning

Learning and development are essential for building energy in your team. Encourage your team members to continually learn and grow. This can be achieved through training programs, mentoring, or providing opportunities for professional development.  It can also take the form of something less formal as you take the time to explain new or better approaches to their work.  When team members feel that they are continually growing and developing, they are more likely to feel energized and motivated.  They will also tend to be more engaged long-term.

Celebrate Successes

Celebrating successes is crucial for building energy in your team. This means recognizing and rewarding team members for their achievements, both big and small. It creates a positive atmosphere that encourages team members to strive for excellence and to continue pushing towards their goals.  It reinforces their perception that their work is valued which is one of the pillars in driving engagement, performance and loyalty.  As a biproduct, celebrating successes also strengthens the relationships between team members and fosters a stronger sense of community. 

Building energy in your team is essential for maintaining productivity, engagement, and success.  Be intentional about it and keep a consistent focus.  It takes time as employees need to see a positive pattern before they will wholeheartedly embrace it.   But once they do, the results can be tremendous.