8 Tips to Boost Your Team’s Engagement

One of the biggest challenges facing leaders today is how to ignite the level of engagement that results in a thriving, engaged and happy practice. So here are three questions to get the ball rolling:

1. Do you feel like you are dragging your team up a hill lately?
2. Do your star team members seem noticeably flat lately?
3. Are your morning huddles lacking spark and inspiration?

If the answer to these questions is Yes, then the bad news is your team lacks drive and motivation. The good news is that you aren’t alone and that this is a curable predicament.

Here’s my eight top questions and tips to boost your team’s engagement:

1. Have a clean mission/vision
   • Create a clear mission or vision statement with your team, get them involved. This helps your team realise that they have a key part to play in the direction of practice and their personal and career success.
2. Does your team have clear goals?
   • You can only motivate and support your team if they know what they are working towards. Set clear expectations and create small measurable goals. Celebrate your practice wins daily and keep your mission alive.
3. Find out what is important to each person in their life
   • Do you know what gets your team members up in the morning? Maybe your Lead Dental Assistant is saving up to buy their first home? Maybe your Front Office Coordinator’s is taking care of elderly parent at home? Spend 1:1 time with each of your team members and find out what is important to them and what motivates them in their life. Let your team members know that you care about them.
4. The Pursuit of Purpose
   • Does your team know WHY you do what you do? Understanding how and why we do things helps us develop a higher sense of purpose and meaning. This can be beneficial to our overall happiness and fulfilment. According to Daniel M. Cable’s book ‘Alive at Work’, in order to have your team members connect with their purpose enable them to witness their impact on others and develop their own story about the WHY of their work.
5. The power of Acknowledgement
   • Do you regularly give recognition and acknowledgement to your team? “I really don’t like to be recognised”, said no human being ever! The power of acknowledgement and recognition is a big component in employee motivation. Go beyond the routine recognition of “thank you for today” and specifically let individuals know how and why they made a difference. This token goes a long way.
6. Nurture Autonomy and Creativity
   • Do you give freedom to your team? Giving team members freedom and autonomy shows that you trust them. Individuals are more engaged when they are empowered to take an active role and participate. Starting a new project? Get your team moving with an inspiring brainstorming session. This will support them and stimulate creativity while unifying your team. It also reduces the burden. You don’t always be the creative one and come up with all of the solutions to every problem.
7. Clear Expectations and Accountability
   • Do you consistently hold your team accountable? Accountability is linked to increased engagement and commitment to work and overall performance. Giving team members clear priorities and assigning action items is the perfect way to hold team members accountable for their actions. According to American business consultancy company Culture Partners, lack of accountability can be detrimental for business owners. Always be aware of negative outcomes such as low morale.
8. Leaders Go First
   • How would you rate your level of engagement? A motivated and engaged team starts with you. The fish rots from the head and as leaders you must BE your best example. As a leader you set the bar and inspire your team to reach greatness.

There is no one-size-fits all solution to boosting your team’s engagement level. We find some teams respond more to one tip than another. We recommend testing each one of our tips for a week or two and see how it goes. After a few months you will have an idea which tips give you the best and greatest impact. You have nothing to lose and you might even create a more engaged and higher performing team.

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Prime Practice’s experienced coaches and trainers assisted thousands of dental practices with team engagement, staff retention, culture, and more. Consider coaching for accountability and success with our unique Coaching Solutions.