Control Stress with High Morale

When Army leaders fail to control battlefield stress, they lose as many soldiers to combat stress as they do to enemy bullets. Even when they are well trained, these soldiers are more likely to collapse in the face of great stress.

Units with high morale and esprit de corps, however, lose only 10% as many troops to stress. The training and preparation are important, but the high sense of teamwork makes all the difference.

This same sense of teamwork and belonging is important in the corporate environment. Where teamwork, morale, and esprit are good, the companies find improved productivity and increased profits. Employees are willing to sacrifice personal gain for the sake of the team.

Some of the bonding is so great that employees brand themselves the same way as the elite soldiers, wearing, wearing visible ID tags, logos, and apparel wherever they go.

Where morale and esprit are weak, employees refuse to wear these identifying symbols -- and productivity suffers as unmotivated employees pay more attention to personal gain than to the team effort.

If absenteeism, early departures, accidents and other problems make you think employees need a morale booster shot, you can try some of the following successful techniques.

1. Develop logo mugs, caps, shirts, or sweaters for everyone. You can do this annually to keep the items fresh, but you'll defeat your purpose if you buy cheap stuff.

2. Recognize team accomplishments with graduation certificates, plaques, mugs, and other items to brand teams and compliment individuals.

3. Povide logo items to special task force or problem solving team members upon completion of the project.

4. Sponsor special team nights out, in recognition of achievement or as an annual affair to encourage team bonding and relationships. People don't really have time for this type bonding on the job. Be sure to give corporate gifts at these events.

5. Establish athletic teams to compete with other departments. You pay the space expenses and equipment costs. Many corporate problems can be solved by getting team members to compete together.

6. Present special training for team members to enhance job performance and team relationships.

7. Send key team members for high-adventure training where physical excitement encourages bonding. Make sure everyone gets to participate in some way, even if they are in support of those taking part in the more adventurous outing.

8. Sponsor annual company picnics where teams compete in athletic events or participate in unique ways to provide food, entertainment for others in the organization.

9. Generate internal competition so departments compete for best overall improvement or fewest quality complaints. Be careful not to have internal teams competing for cash awards, e.g. annual bonuses, or you'll create a lot of negative stress and distrust that is hard to repair.

10. Leadership participation is important in each of these morale building team efforts. Leaders need to be a part of the competition and the adventure. They also need to personally award the logo items and compliment those teams that achieve.

Investment in team awards or recognition items is returned many times over through decreased stress, improved productivity, and decreased absenteeism. These efforts are even more important in hard times, so budget for morale building and esprit in good times and bad.

Get my free article on three kinds of workplace stress by sending blank email to 3kindsofstress@couragebuilders.com

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. Author of "Winning Under Fire." (McGraw-Hill) collie@couragebuilders.com

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Understanding Your Stress Levels

In order to understand stress better, it is a good... Read More

Moving Through Breakdowns with Transformation

Success in recovery, or rather, staying in recovery, is dependent... Read More

Stress Management: Ditch Thinking or Destination Thinking

Imagine driving down the road. You are driving with a... Read More

What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With Stress

I just got through reading some troubling news in the... Read More

How To Use Diet To Reduce Your Stress

The Problem You don't need me to tell you how... Read More

Breathe Out Negativity And Stress!

If you have never tried combining your breathing exercises with... Read More

100 Ways to Reduce Stress

Don't let stress wear you down. Next time you are... Read More

Recognize the Early Signs of Burnout

Most of us are trying to balance work, home, and... Read More

Workaholism: 4 Universal Laws for Recovery

The Rule of BalanceThere is more to life than work.... Read More

Myth Busting: What Causes Mental Breakdown?

I came out of a nightmare 5-year period of anxiety... Read More

Simple Tips to Help Simplify Your Life! - Make it Great!

Quote of the week"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da... Read More

Stress Management: Declare Your Freedom To........................

1) Create the life you desireTwo of our most underdeveloped... Read More

Canadian Physicians on Slippery Slope of Burnout

In a recent CMA survey of 2251 physicians, over 45%... Read More

Stress And How To Avoid It

Everyone knows that stress isn't good - that it can... Read More

Social Phobia

Imagine going through your whole life in the constant fear... Read More

Put the 80/20 Rule to Work for Your Life!

Perhaps you've heard of the 80/20 rule, but don't know... Read More

Let Go of Stress: Slow Down! Survive!

Don't wait to have a life-threatening disease to learn what... Read More

4 Steps to Teaching Your Family to Treat You Better

Case #1- Elizabeth, a 40 year old homemaker was always... Read More

Are You Leap-Frogging from Vacation to Vacation? Try Lily-Padding...

It's summertime and chances are you can remember a summer... Read More

There is no Such Thing as Good Stress

Q: What is Stress?A: Very basically it is the physical,... Read More

Chewing On Mindfulness: Gum Is Your Secret

My grandmother, a feisty and athletic woman in her younger... Read More

Stress Relief

Traffic jams. Toddler tantrums. Deadlines at work. Money troubles. Too... Read More

Worry: Is It Worthwhile Work or a Waste of Time?

As tools for change are discussed, one tool - that... Read More

Through Stress Comes Kindness

In these times when companies are constantly down-sizing and right-sizing... Read More

Self Indulgence: It Isn?t Just About Chocolate

It's no secret that we women, by virtue of our... Read More

It is Looking Up for Stress Relief

No this is not related to praying, this is how... Read More

An ADD Case Study: When the Pace Picks Up, Learn to Slow Down

The fall season signals a shift in most people's minds.... Read More

3 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress

Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of... Read More

Control Stress or It Will Control Your Business

When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually... Read More

10 Symptoms of Workplace Stress

It is no secret that stress and related disorders are... Read More

Managing Stress

Do you ever feel stressed? Is stress a regular component... Read More

Dealing With Stress in Our Overworked Lives

As small business owners, we often take on more than... Read More

Stress Management: Holding On Vs. Dropping It

One of the dumbest things I have ever done is... Read More