Employees are feeling disconnected during a culture change. How can you boost their morale?

When employees feel disconnected, it's often a communication problem. While there is much to say about the need for a change leadership communication plan, how you communicate during this change and the resulting impact is critical to consider. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Storytelling That Drives Bold Change, they highlight four critical steps in leading change through stories: (1) Understand your story so well that you can describe it in simple terms, (2) honor the past, (3) articulate a persuasive mandate for change, and (4) lay out a rigorous and optimistic path forward. All leaders need to consider: 1. What do people need to know and believe? 2. What true, authentic stories can you share in the message?

As a leader be proactive to invite people to an open dialogue. Unfold their values - they are the cornerstone of behaviors. Ensure safe and non-judgemental environment where no questions or answers are considered silly. Rather, they are pieces of information around what is important to your team. Times of cultural change make us all vulnerable in questioning not only our behaviors, but also underlying beliefs. Be genuinely curious when enquiring: "Where is this perception coming from?" If your team seems disconnected and challenged, share your own life/career examples, be honest about own feelings. Invite them to share their thoughts. Invite them to contribute to the common goal. Connect with them.

If employees are feeling disconnected during a culture change, then you haven’t got your planning right. The key to cultural change is communication, communication, communication! Not just from the top down or from you the change implementer. Also, due to cultures’, at times, ethereal nature your plan will need to evolve and adapt as more of the organisational culture you’re trying to change becomes visible or tangible. Even a good plan doesn’t survive first contact so you need to have counter plans and even more evolutionary options to avoid people feeling disconnected because you had a plan and you’re sticking to it. You should plan to evolve and adapt your communication in both style and content.

Communicate clearly the strategic vision and relevant expectations from your team. Provide clarity behind the WHY the change is needed. Don't underestimate or deny the challenge. Transformations are not easy - for anyone (including you). Be honest and humble about your experience: how you have overcome such transitions - either in the past or within the current process. Assure that you as their leader are there for them, and invite to a safe space where transparency is welcomed. Include all the feedback. Include all concerns. Do not ignore or undervalue any of the feedback. Connect with your team member on a human level - by clarifyining any uncertainty. Be there for them. Be a servant leader.

As a leader, become attentive to how your people feel about their future ahead of them. Attune to their most human needs. Refer to the Maslow's hierarchy. Among those , there is the need to be seen and heard, the assurance the voice of team members matters. Show empathy and understanding. It is not always your role (or the org's) to meet every single need or feel the same feelings of every individual. Yet it is a servant leadership quality to help your people navigate organizational challenges - with dignity. Making your people seen for their efforts and contribution, is what empowers them. They are more likely to become ambassadors of change and own the actions, when they feel valued and recognized for their authentic contribution.

The most effective way to boost morale is generally to stop doing whatever it is you are doing that is eroding morale in the first place. I'm not sure we would describe someone as having saved a man from drowning, if all they did was remove their boot from the head of the man they were drowning in the first place. However, the drowning man will be grateful none the less, when the person removes their boot from the top of their head.

In order to include people who might feel disconnected from the strategic purpose, leader's role is to offer support. If you are honest and genuine - with actions speaking louder than slogans - you will become a magnet for people. As a leader in organisation undergoing a transformation, become approachable and offer constructive guidance about the future org vision and about the skilset and capabilities that will be required.

We human beings are driven by rewards and recognition (whether we want to admit that or not). This is what we remember. Rewards direct the attention. Wherever our attention goes, we do more of that. Recognition enforces the desired behaviour. As a leader in the times of a transformative change, aiming to boos teams' morale, direct people's attention to their EFFORTS not ACHIEVEMENTS. Achievements are conditioned by external factors (there can only be one winner of a marathon) , efforts are invested by each individual independently (every athlete who finishes the run). Acknowledging individual efforts towards the common vision and goals is what increases the trust in leadership and their engagement to deliver.

Building a sense of community is alway important. Doing so during a period of change is critical. Create opportunities to connect on non-work related issues. Take a bit of time to focus on something away from the office and away the day to day. Focus on the person and the team as people as opposed to just cogs in the corporate wheel.

Building real connection is important, but not easy. It takes time. This is not a one-time click exercise. Making a conducive community of individuals who share common values (rather than being "alike") is what creates nurturing connections. Create the sense of inclusion, connectedness and team bonding - highlight the "together" narrative. (Note: failing together also creates team bonding). Invite everybody to belong in the common purpose.