Sometime, your team morale starts to take a nosedive. It’s not always your fault, either—it just happens. It might be due to a change in seasons, employee burnout, or a hectic busy season that leaves everyone’s nerves on edge.
When you begin to notice the overall drop in enthusiasm, it’s time to take a step back and regroup as a team.
Why? Because when your employees fall into that rut, it’s hard to pull them back out after a while. Catch it in its early stages, and you can get everyone back on the right track.
So how do you go about that? Reading a great book as a group is a fantastic way. Each week, you can get together and offer feedback, thoughts, and begin conversations based on the book you choose.
Here are a few favourites that might be just what you need.
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
This book focuses on the areas where teams fall apart—and addresses the processes that have to take place to get everyone back together again.
2. Good to Great by James C. Collins
Any team can be good, but only a few ever make it to great. Collins outlines what factors make great teams and gives strategies on how to transition into that category.
3. Teamwork 101 by John C. Maxwell
Maxwell says, “Teamwork is at the heart of great achievement.” When your team can focus on how to be a more effective team, everyone wins.
4. The Secret of Teams by Mark Miller
What separates teams that deliver from those that get stuck? Miller outlines simple truths that can revolutionize any team.
5. Integrity by Dr. Henry Cloud
Sometimes, all we need is a little refresher course on a quality that makes us better people. This book focuses on accountability and strength of character.
6. Into the Storm by Dennis Perkins and Jillian B. Murphy
This unique take on teamwork lessons comes in the form of offshore racing. Great for conversation starters, this book gets your team to think about their role within the whole of the organization.
7. The Servant by James C. Hunter
The best leaders and team members serve each other before themselves, as taught in this insightful book.
8. Winning by Jack Welch
This General Electric CEO has lots of valuable insights into communication, teamwork, and becoming a more successful organization.
9. Focal Point by Brian Tracy
Help your team redefine their focus by reading this book as a group and discussing the ways in which each team member can be happier personally and professionally.
10. Alive by Piers Paul Read
Nothing makes you realize how simple your teamwork issues by reading about a team facing a life-threatening challenge. This book tells the story of a rugby team that crashes in the Andres in 1972.
With this list of books as your starting point, you can help your team out of their off-kilter slump. When you come together as a team to regroup, each member is reminded how his or her importance and purpose. Ask questions, gather feedback, and help keep the doors of communication open.
