Collective Wisdom from the Experts 119
• Respect the work-life balance. It is all right to demand overtime from
people occasionally, but if you are going to take time from their lives, you
need to give some back. Your employees shouldn’t be afraid to schedule a
morning doctor’s appointment or attend a child’s afternoon recital, espe-
cially after they’ve worked late to meet a deadline.
• Understand how cause and effect shapes morale. When you merely try to
recreate what motivated you or others on past teams, you may be missing
the key elements. If you ask yourself, “What can I do to improve working
conditions of my team?” and actually work to make those changes, morale
will usually improve.
• Make sure your activities are visible. You are a team member, too, so the
team should be aware of the work you are doing for it. It is easy to distrust
a manager who is always behind a closed door, and easy to follow one who
is openly, visibly working for the good of the team.In your organization there will be unique opportunities to improve morale.
Consciously look for them and take advantage of them. If they work, share
them with others.