{"id":241,"date":"2015-01-19T08:04:53","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T08:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adriangrigoras.com\/blog\/?p=241"},"modified":"2015-01-19T14:50:09","modified_gmt":"2015-01-19T14:50:09","slug":"overwhelmed-stressed-out-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adriangrigoras.com\/blog\/overwhelmed-stressed-out-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Help Your Overwhelmed, Stressed-Out Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your team stressed out? These days, everyone seems overwhelmed and way too busy. But even when your team members have a lot on their plates, they don\u2019t have to sacrifice their health or happiness. What can you do to reduce your team\u2019s stress? How can you help them focus on what really needs to get done?<\/p>\n

What the Experts Say
\n<\/strong>As a leader, it\u2019s your job to help your people find balance. Of course, you need results, but you also want a team that\u2019s not at constant risk of being burnt out. Research<\/a> shows that memory, attention, and concentration suffer when people try to manage the constant stream of communication and distraction that\u2019s a regular part of the workplace. Julie Morgenstern, productivity expert and author ofNever Check E-Mail in the Morning<\/em><\/a>, sees this every day: \u201cAlmost everyone struggles to focus at work,\u201d she says. \u201cWe want to think, write, and strategize, but because these functions require deep thinking and uninterrupted time, we stay busy with the tasks, meetings, and messages that pop up all day long rather than tackling really important projects.\u201d Liane Davey, vice president of team solutions at Knightsbridge Human Capital and author of You First<\/em><\/a>, agrees, noting that an overly busy office can kill morale and leave employees disengaged and less capable of getting everything done. It\u2019s on you, the manager, to help your people cut through the chaos, reduce stress, and make sure your team can accomplish its most important work.<\/p>\n

Focus your team on the things that matter
\n<\/strong>The first step, says Davey, is to identify the unique contribution your team makes to the organization. Begin by asking, \u201cWhat does the company expect from my team that no other group can accomplish?\u201d Don\u2019t answer this alone in your office. Involve your team. Once you all agree on your team\u2019s purpose, it becomes the guiding principle for how everyone should spend their time and the litmus test for what work team members should take on and what they should let go.<\/p>\n

Edit their workload
\n<\/strong>Evaluate each project based on whether or not it\u2019s in what Davey calls \u201cthe sweet spot\u201d \u2014 what you\u2019ve previously identified as your group\u2019s unique purpose, what they\u2019re good at, and what\u2019s important to the larger goals of the organization. \u201cIt\u2019s the manager\u2019s responsibility to develop an action plan that allows everyone to be more productive and to insulate their teams from low-priority work that may trickle down from senior management,\u201d she says. When a new assignment comes your way, don\u2019t automatically say yes. \u201cRemember to consider each project with an eye to whether or not it takes advantage of what your team, and only your team, has to offer,\u201d Morgenstern says.<\/p>\n

Schedule uninterrupted work
\n<\/strong>\u201cWhen you get distracted by something at work,\u201d says Morgenstern, \u201cit takes at least 20 minutes to refocus on the task at hand.\u201d Encourage your team to set aside an hour or more (Morgenstern\u2019s team gives it three hours) each morning for quiet, proactive work. \u201cBe sure everyone understands that there are to be no interruptions unless it\u2019s an emergency,\u201d she recommends. By making it a group goal, you increase your collective focus and prevent backsliding. Also check that your team members know how to break larger projects up into smaller tasks that can be accomplished in the amount of time you\u2019ve set aside for strategic work each day. \u201cOnce they use this time effectively,\u201d she says, \u201ctheir productivity will improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fix your meetings
\n<\/strong>\u201cMeetings can be a huge waste of time<\/a>,\u201d says Davey. To avoid that problem, \u201cevery meeting should include standing agenda items to allow for productive discussions and decision making about the team\u2019s core assignments,\u201d she says. Morgenstern suggests that managers establish no more than three objectives, decide who needs to be there, set limits on the duration of meetings, and use the last 15 minutes to clarify how the participants will move forward. Above all, make sure a meeting is really necessary. \u201cSometimes an email or memo can accomplish the same goal in a much shorter amount of time,\u201d she suggests.<\/p>\n

\u00a0S<\/strong>et limits on e-mail
\n<\/strong>Technology has created an always-on culture, where work bleeds into evenings and weekends. But that can be counterproductive if your people never feel they have a break. Morgenstern suggests setting boundaries on the work day and limiting after-hours emails <\/a>to urgent issues. \u201cSo many people are addicted to their phones, but over time, most people realize that there\u2019s very little that can\u2019t wait and that it\u2019s far more important to connect to what\u2019s meaningful to us both personally and professionally,\u201d she says. The brain is actually wired for rest, adds Davey. \u201cWithout taking time to recharge, we create unsustainable levels of stress and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lead by example
\n<\/strong>When setting new norms for your team, you need to walk the talk yourself. \u201cThe movement against busy starts at the top,\u201d Davey says, pointing to the way Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn schedules time for what he calls \u201cnothing<\/a>.\u201d Talk to your team about what you\u2019re doing and why, Morgenstern recommends, and if one of your strategies isn\u2019t working, admit it, try something different, and move on. Show that you\u2019re committed to making a change both individually and as a group. \u201cIt takes a while to break these habits,\u201d she says, \u201cbut once you all get used to a deeper sense of accomplishment, you\u2019ll never go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Principles to Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Do:<\/strong><\/p>\n