Let’s start with some questions:
- If you could describe your team with the following words: energized or exhausted, which would you choose?
- Do you feel that your team is not performing as well or is as dedicated as it was at the beginning?
- Would it surprise you to know that the attitude of the team is directly associated with how connected you are to them?
When starting a business, we surround ourselves with a team with optimal abilities, ready to pursue our goal, and who are usually very attracted to the good vibes we transmit. They feel that they are part of a dream under construction and the work dynamic is full of adrenaline and emotional rewards. This can be explained by one of the most important mechanisms of our social brain, the ability to generate oxytocin, increasing the sense of belonging and the need to defend what unites us.
However, sometimes, this “honeymoon” usually ends in a short time when urgent matters caused by unforeseen situations activate the opposite mechanism, the survival one, generating adrenaline and cortisol, promoting individuality, making the whole work environment become heavy and where the consequences of stress are visible.
This makes our team feel unsupported, lost and threatened, causing those who come to work energized leave emotionally exhausted and unwilling to return.
Our colleagues need support, guidance and coaching. It is important to understand that, to the brain, a work team is a tribe, and every tribe needs its leader to keep it safe and inspired to achieve maximum individual and group potential.
In short, stress makes us distrust our peers and become individualistic, and this is the worst thing that can happen to a food business. Keep a positive mind, keep channels open with all members, support them when they feel defeated and you will see how they re-energize, refocusing efforts around the purpose, attracting more happiness, more customers and more revenue.
We co-created this content with @neurogastronomo to help your business grow.