What happens when it’s your job to keep your employees motivated, engaged, productive and happy, but you’re not exactly feeling the love for your own job anymore? It’s certainly a tough spot for a leader, but it happens. And if your disengagement shows, you may have a lot more to worry about than your own job satisfaction.
Leaders set the tone, the pace, and the energy levels for their employees. Like it or not, energy is infectious, whether it’s positive or negative, so a leader needs to be very self-aware of how his/her energy is affecting the team. If your enthusiasm is off, there are a few things you can do:
- Act “as if”–meaning as if you are engaged and happy in your job, at least for awhile. Sometimes you just have to reach down into the bottom of your boots to drum up some energy to pass along to others. Get busy and move yourself into action. Say positive things to others, and be generous with recognition for your employees who deserve it. By creating some momentum, you might actually reconnect to your own purpose and be in a better position to evaluate your position.
- Work on yourself. If you are truly owning your career, realizing that you might need a change does not mean you need to disengage from your current job to justify a move. The best leaders are always looking forward, whether it is for their current company or in their own career path. Leaving a job while you’re still on top of your game is always your best bet for future success…and for good relationships with your colleagues left behind.
- Look for inspiration from others. Talk with your peers and your employees about what motivates them, keeps them engaged, and sparks their creativity. Look for opportunities to “get fresh” in your role: Do you need some new challenges? Some more education or training? A new opportunity to drive strategy and innovation? Stagnation is often about sameness; look for ways to approach your job and your responsibilities differently, and challenge your team to do the same. Shake things up, challenge “the way we do things”, and find some creative ways to pump fresh energy into your team…and into yourself.
Choose your own adventure. The bottom line is this: Every day, you get to choose how you approach your job, and your life. When you find yourself disengaged and stagnating, it’s up to you to do something about it. Find a mentor who can help you sort through your options. Figure it out, and fix it or change it. Because being miserable in your job is not just bad for you, it’s bad for your team, too. Good leadership starts with leading your own life effectively.
Authored by: Merrilee Buchanan, LCSW
Merrilee is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.