How do you maintain team morale when facing unexpected setbacks in a change project?

A little goes a long way! Celebrate each milestone but also be quick to react when you can see milestones are being missed, before you allow the team to fall too far behind, engage them, allow them to express their concerns or frustration, set up time to follow up on discussions, create action plans and more especially make the team feel part of the solution and the process, they will eventually come to embrace the changes and come together to find ways to recover from the setbacks

Maintaining team morale starts with open dialogue. It’s crucial to create an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their concerns and frustrations. When setbacks occur, I encourage the team to gather and express their thoughts openly. This approach is supported by the Johari Window model, which emphasizes the importance of open communication in team dynamics. →𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒂 “𝑵𝒐 𝑨𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂” 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕’𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.

When setbacks occur, start with Awareness by openly communicating the situation to your team, ensuring transparency to build trust and prevent rumors. 🗣️ During the Desire phase, encourage team members to voice concerns and suggestions, fostering a collaborative environment. 🙌 This not only aids in finding solutions but also makes them feel valued and part of the process. Use the Knowledge phase to identify and implement learnings from the setback. 📚 Reinforce the vision and goals of the change project during the Ability phase, reminding everyone why their efforts matter. 💡 Finally, ensure Reinforcement by maintaining open communication and recognizing contributions, solidifying commitment to the project's success. 🤝

Need to set expectations up from the beginning and say "you do not expect everything to go according to plan." And as a result, discuss a plan at the beginning as to how you will manage this AS A TEAM.

It emphasizes immediate help, involving the patient's social network, and using transparent, non-hierarchical communication. Core principles include viewing patients as active participants in their treatment, fostering dialogue within a network of family, friends, and professionals, and maintaining a flexible, responsive approach to care. This method seeks to build trust and understanding, promote shared decision-making, and support recovery through collective problem-solving and support, leading to improved outcomes and stronger therapeutic relationships.

Change is constant, and so should our plans be. When faced with setbacks, it’s essential to show the team that we’re capable of adapting our plans. This flexibility can be guided by the 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, which allows for continuous reassessment of project goals and timelines. →𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒂𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏.

This process requires flexibility, continuous monitoring, and a willingness to pivot when necessary. Effective plan adaptation includes evaluating current progress, identifying obstacles, and adjusting goals or methods to better align with the evolving circumstances. It emphasizes the importance of resilience and proactive problem-solving, ensuring that objectives remain achievable and relevant despite unforeseen setbacks or shifts in conditions. By maintaining adaptability, individuals and organizations can navigate uncertainty and sustain momentum towards their desired outcomes.

Setbacks can be disheartening, but recognizing individual and team efforts can boost morale significantly. I make it a point to celebrate the small victories and the hard work put in, even if the results aren’t as expected. The 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 reinforces this by focusing on the positives and what’s working well. →𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒔.

Highlighting effort reinforces positive behavior, boosts morale, and motivates continued commitment. It fosters a supportive and encouraging environment, where people feel valued and respected for their input. Recognizing effort is crucial for maintaining engagement, building self-esteem, and promoting a culture of persistence and resilience, ultimately leading to higher performance and satisfaction.

In the face of unexpected setbacks in a change project, maintaining team morale is crucial. Recognizing and celebrating effort becomes even more vital during these times. Acknowledge the hard work and dedication of your team members consistently. Whether through a heartfelt thank-you note, public recognition in meetings, or celebrating small victories, these gestures boost morale significantly. When team members feel valued and appreciated, they remain motivated and committed, fostering resilience in overcoming challenges together.

Finally, encouraging resilience is key to maintaining morale. I remind the team of past successes and our ability to overcome challenges. Drawing inspiration from the 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲, I emphasize the importance of bouncing back stronger from setbacks. →𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆.

This can be achieved through supportive leadership, providing resources for coping and problem-solving, and creating a positive, growth-oriented environment. By promoting a mindset that views difficulties as opportunities for learning and development, individuals and teams can build their capacity to withstand and bounce back from hardships. Encouraging resilience enhances overall well-being, reduces stress, and strengthens long-term performance and stability, ensuring that people are better equipped to handle future obstacles and sustain progress.

Maintenir le sentiment de "fierté" de ce qui a été accompli et réussi ensemble est essentiel pour encourager la résilience. Cela permet de se projeter dans une posture active sur une suite même incertaine. "On a réussi et on va continuer à réussir !"

You can not encourage resilience. Hahahaha you need to help people build it. Resilience is a matter of capacity. The rest is good advice but please when you are trying to help people BUILT resilience see it as a process, not something you can enforce. Build capacity, help, and guide. Our job as leaders in times of change is to help others do their jobs so we move closer to the vision.

These networks can include family, friends, colleagues, mentors, and professional services. Effective support networks offer guidance, encouragement, and resources, helping individuals navigate difficulties and achieve their goals. They play a crucial role in enhancing well-being, reducing stress, and fostering a sense of belonging and security. By relying on and contributing to support networks, individuals can build stronger relationships and resilience, improving their capacity to handle life's demands and transitions.

Agree that it's important to not only maintain a positive attitude but also a winning mindset to overcome setbacks. It is equally important to show strategic empathy as a leader in order to offer the right level of support.

It's like everyday life; not everything will go as planned. Being cognizant of this and staying connected with your team can help you maintain a positive outlook and keep the entire team's spirits high.

Celebrate the small wins along the way - anchoring the future in positivity not only gives energy but it shapes the thinking towards "can do" rather than "cannot"

We know that projects rarely follow a straight line (even if project plans want them to), especially when the program has no control over the wider system and environment. So, just like the concept of the circle of influence and control, I'd set the expectation from the start that there may be times the team needs to sense and respond - and thats the nature of change in complex, adaptive organisations. And when there are set-backs, or the team needs to pivot, acknowledgement is key, but what's even more key, is progress in a co-created NEW direction - as we know our brain applies delayed discounting (value rewards now over later), and a reward doesn't need to be following the same path as yesterday. Build adaptability norms in.

During difficult times team morale definitely goes down, as a leader one thing I always try to do is not to delegate stress. Staying calm and navigating the team towards the goal helps. We cannot expect smooth sailing all the time, there’s going to be ups and downs in a change project being focused and spreading positivity are useful too.

When the rubber hits the road: No matter how much you plan, when it comes down to it, you'll often find that things don't go as expected. There can be setbacks, but there can also be positive surprises that occur during a project.

Numbers 1 and 3 are the most important and most people dismiss them or get them wrong. 1. Embrace the Journey There will be ups and downs you need to remember its a marathon, not a sprint run. 2. Map Your Change Story Focus on the narratives around your change. What happened so far, the current state, and the narrative around the future changes. 3. Create Capacity Focus on creating space mental and physical as well as emotional for people to be able to have the energy and tools to transform 4. Navigate with Empathy A little Empathy can go a long way. 5. Build Sustainable Advantage Don't focus on just short-term wins or just the vision. Take it step by step build a good base and move towards a vision with milestones.