Loud Thinking October 27, 2014 at 09:18PM

Tell Your Team You’re All in This Together

We’re hardwired to want to work together. Research shows that the feeling of working together can lead to greater motivation, engagement, and performance. But ironically, while we have team goals and are judged by team performance, few of us actually do our work in teams. Yes, the projects we complete are done in teams, but most of the work we do today still gets done alone. But there’s a powerful way of making employees feel like they’re working as a team, even when they technically aren’t: Simply say the word “together.” It’s a powerful social cue to the brain that signals you belong, you’re connected, and there are others you can trust. Managers should make use of this word with far greater frequency. By repeating that you and your employees are working toward something together, they’ll know they aren’t alone and will be motivated to do their best.

Adapted from ” Managers Can Motivate Employees with One Word” by Heidi Grant Halvorson.

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