Shaping the message by adjusting the lenses

I’m not an economist, but maybe it’s time to bring the team together again. I know that is an odd sentence, but read on.

I had the privilege recently to listen to John List, an economics professor from the University of Chicago and Walmart’s chief economist, who was one of several presenters sharing their thoughts about the economic future for this year. With all the fearmongering from national news outlets about the coming recession, it was good to hear some experts bring some sanity to the discussion.

John pointed out that of the six recessionary facts surrounding all recessions since the Great Depression, only one of the current data points is consistent with the prediction of a recession, and that’s the one that the news outlets go on and on about, i.e., two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth.

What does this have to do with bringing your team together? Your team has likely been more isolated over the past two years. They have also probably listened to the news as much as you have. They are aware of inflation. They have noticed the cost of housing. They may even be hearing rumors of layoffs in some sectors. They may be hearing caution from you or the leaders in your organization. Is it possible that they may be in a funk?

The reality is that there are more jobs on the market than can be filled. The unemployment rate is low. The underemployment rate (a sign of a recession) is also low. The job participation rate is high. Wages are up. The sectors that generally keep our economic machine working are healthy.

The question is, “What lenses are you, your team and your organization looking through?” I remember a story a Walmart executive told at a year-beginning meeting years ago. It was called “The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs.” Look it up. You will enjoy the read. The moral of the story is that we all learn to believe what we tell ourselves or what we allow ourselves to be told.

Your team may have been sequestered since the pandemic. We couldn’t get together then because we didn’t want to spread germs. During the pandemic, we learned to work remotely.

We even hired remotely and are learning that work can get done this way. Our information came to us via the news and stressed leaders. But now that the pandemic has lifted, we’re still scattered, which is not good for a team on a mission.

I believe one thing we miss by not being together is the opportunity to rally each other around a common vision and mission, the opportunity to engage formally and informally in healthy debate about strategy and objectives and to learn about one another through a variety of exercises that are designed to help build trust. Executives I have spoken to recently recall their last off-site vividly and said it’s time we get back to building our teams again, so they can be energized to achieve the mission that remains.

My team and I have designed and facilitated various team off-site meetings, and what the team takes away from them never ceases to amaze me. Even more, I am amazed at how long they remember and apply the learning that takes place in these unique settings and engagements. Maybe it’s time to get your team back together to give them a new perspective on who they are, the mission they are on, and the unique abilities they possess together to rise to meet the challenges ahead.

I know I am more energized after hearing a different perspective from this economist.

Tony Hawk is CEO of Resources for Leading, an executive coaching and consulting group serving companies in NWA and around the country. The opinions expressed are those of the author.