Keeping Team Morale Up on Lengthy Projects

People think talent is a team’s secret weapon. It’s not. It’s morale. We have never seen such a surplus of talent on the job market. Skilled, ambitious people have never been easier to find. But a team that’s fired up about their mission? That trusts each other? That sacrifices for the shared cause? That’s rare. Really, really rare. (And pretty unstoppable) Without strong morale, how can any team achieve something remarkable? How crazy would it be if a group of drained, uninvested people with poor chemistry halfheartedly built something great? It doesn’t happen. Morale is everything. So how do you build and sustain it? (Don't overlook the importance of sustaining it) 1. Give people a reason to believe. Without this, there's nothing to work with. When the mission is clear, motivation follows. Belief is the catalyst for motivation which is the catalyst for morale, as the unmotivated literally can't see a good reason to carry on and will look for ways to get further as an individual while doing less at the expense of the team's best interests. 2. Make winning a habit. Small victories create momentum, they give you a chance to recognise people for their contributions, and they fight off people's urges to disengage in the face of boredom or in the absence of feedback. Winning is energising, and the absence of frequent wins is testing your teams battery. Why test a battery when you can just keep it charged? A simple reformatting of goals can make all the difference in your teams morale and performance 3. Trust your team. People want ownership of meaningful work, it's our nature. If you want people to care about their work, and take pride in it, then let them be responsible for things that matter. 4. Remove unnecessary friction. Everything requires bandwidth, including morale. It's why juggling life is hard. It's why wanting too many things is hard. It's why staying consistent when tragedy strikes is hard. Overcoming friction, planned and unplanned, in work and in our personal lives is hard. So don't make it harder on your team with unnecessary friction. The universe is already providing your team members with plenty of friction. But if you want them to see work as a free-ing, energising, frictionless environment where they can find flow and give themselves to the team; clear the path. Because everything your team is doing that isn't necessary is costing your team bandwidth. 5. Show up with energy!!! Leadership is contagious. Your attitude sets the tone. If you want your team to have high morale, set the standard yourself. If you as a leader aren't excited to be there, aren't confident you're going to overcome challenges, aren't eager to spend time with the team; why would anyone else?

The end of the year is fast approaching, and burnout is so common right now. The question I’m hearing a lot from leaders is: How can I keep my team energized through the “finish line”? To prevent burnout, and foster team energy and resilience instead, here are some practices I find to be super powerful: 1️⃣ Connect as humans: Amp up your “team health checks” and organize plain-old-fun team gatherings. Remembering how much we respect and like the people we work with is a full proof way to recharge the collective emotional battery pack. 2️⃣ Recommit to your shared “why”: Whether it’s a shared purpose, challenge, bold goal, or group of people you serve, find a way to have your team reconnect to your “why.” Doing so reminds them why you’re working so hard in the first place and unlocks additional motivation to keep going. 3️⃣ Celebrate progress and people: Zoom out and recognize how far you’ve already come (What performance have you driven? What things have you launched? What people have you made a difference for?) and the specific people who made this progress happen. Seeing how their effort creates positive change builds greater confidence and determination.  4️⃣ Double down on learning together: When unexpected mistakes do occur (and they will), invite your team to learn from them and adjust accordingly. With everything going on this time of year, giving grace is a powerful tool to keep teams intact and moving forward together. Plus, feeling like we’re growing and getting better is always energizing. What’s cool about prioritizing team energy and resilience in this final quarter of the calendar year is that it can give you double the payback. Not only will you have a happier team crushing performance for the remainder of this year, they’ll also be ready to tackle even bigger possibilities next year and beyond. If y’all have other ideas I didn’t mention, I’d love to learn what works for you, too! And here’s one more bonus tip from me: while you’re taking care of your team, don’t forget to take care of you! 🌻 #leadbrighter #teams

A delivered project with a burned-out team is still a failure You did it. You hit the deadline. You launched the product. You impressed the stakeholders. But your team? Exhausted. Frustrated. Quiet quitting. That's not success. It's the start to a bad reputation. Effective PMs don't just deliver. They deliver sustainably. Here's 3 tips to protect the finish line AND the people crossing it: ☝ Normalize red before it turns to burnout Too many teams silently suffer to avoid disappointing leadership. Create space for regular, transparent honesty. Then be brave and elevate concerns accordingly. It's your job after all. ✌ Manage to capacity, not just commitment Just because someone says "yes" doesn't mean they should. Respect bandwidth like a budget. Overdrawn teams pay interest. That interest can cause future problems for this project or the next one. 🤟 Celebrate recovery over delivery After a push, allow time to regroup. If every sprint is a sprint, you're not running a marathon. You're burning out the engine. Give teams time to catch their breath, recognize and celebrate small wins, and recalibrate effort so no one is redlining. Delivery at the expense of people is a short-term win with a long-term cost. Stay ahead by balancing delivery with sustainability. 🤙

Are you having any fun? Most startups and ambitious projects fail for one reason: the people running them give up. Why? They’re miserable. If you’re counting on some future success to justify years of pain, you risk feeling empty when that “big moment” finally arrives—and risk quitting if it doesn’t. But what if the journey itself was fun? Imagine creating an environment so engaging that you want to keep going through late nights, tight deadlines, and pivots—because you’re enjoying it. That’s not naive; it’s smart. A team (and founder) that loves the process is far less likely to throw in the towel. Famously: - Apple’s Macintosh Team hung a pirate flag in their office. - Pixar is known for Nerf wars and scooters in the halls. - Atlassian runs “ShipIt Days,” letting teams build anything they want for 24 hours. When I co-founded Graphite, we added hidden memes to the product, broke up grueling coding sessions with StarCraft 2 matches, and even pranked each other with a “rogue weasel” bug in the website. Silly? Maybe. But it kept us energized, creative, and motivated to push even harder. Ideas for having more fun while working: - Work remotely from a new location for a week (tacos in Mexico?) - Host a small, healthy ritual—like a weekly spa or gym session—to talk shop without the office pressure. - Embrace playful hackathons or mini side-project days. - Pull the occasional (harmless) prank to keep morale high. Hard work doesn’t have to be joyless. Fun is the long-term fuel that prevents burnout and keeps you (and your team) in the game. If you love the journey, you’ll stick around until you reach success—or pivot until you find it. https://lnkd.in/eAuKu_XD

A client recently told me: “My team is losing motivation, and I don’t know how to fix it.” When we dug deeper, it became clear: burnout was at the root. Tight deadlines, unclear priorities, and a lack of recognition had drained their energy. We focused on three simple but effective shifts: ☑️ Clarity in priorities: We aligned team goals with individual strengths. ☑️ Frequent recognition: Small wins received immediate acknowledgment. ☑️ Time for renewal: Weekly blocks for team brainstorming and non-task-focused connection. Within weeks, morale improved, and productivity followed. If you lead a team, remember this: burnout isn’t just their problem—it’s yours to solve with intention.

I once worked with a manager who micromanaged our team down to the smallest of tasks.  Every decision had to go through him, every small update had to be shared, and we felt like we weren’t trusted to do our jobs. It sucked the joy out of the work and killed our motivation.  That experience taught me very early that people hate being micromanaged.  When I became an engineering manager, I made my own mistakes but never micromanaged. Because from my own dev experience, I realized:   - You don’t just tell people what to do.   - You set clear goals.   - You empower them.   - You trust their initiative.  You want people to take ownership. When they feel trusted, they’re happier and more productive, and they perform better. But here’s the tricky part: How do you motivate your team without burning out or burning them out?  Here are a few strategies that always work for me:  1. Set clear, meaningful goals   –When people know the “why” behind their work, they’re more driven.  –Make it clear how their tasks connect to the bigger picture.   2. Recognize and celebrate wins   – A simple “thank you” or acknowledgment during a meeting can go a long way.  – People stay motivated when their efforts are seen and appreciated.   3. Encourage work-life balance   – Set realistic deadlines, encourage breaks, and lead by example.  – Don’t reward overwork—reward good work.   4. Give autonomy and ownership   – Nobody likes being told how to do their job.  – Trust your team to make decisions. –  Let them own projects, and watch them grow.   5. Create a safe, supportive environment   "If people don’t feel safe to share their ideas or challenges, they won’t thrive."  – Encourage open communication and value collaboration over competition.   6. Offer growth opportunities   – Stagnation kills motivation.  –Help your team grow with new challenges, mentorship, and training.   7. Lead by example   – Your team watches you.  –Be the kind of leader you’d want to follow: positive, transparent, and resilient.  Motivating your team is creating an environment where people feel respected, trusted, and valued.  And most importantly, it’s about remembering that your team isn’t a set of “resources.” They’re human beings. Treat them that way, and they’ll show up for you every single time.  – P.S: If you're a senior engineer, or a tech lead and looking to transition to management and grow, I'm doing a free webinar soon, please fill out this form to register: https://lnkd.in/gZ7VcqMD This will also be useful for a new manager!

If your high-performing employees ever get tired, unmotivated, or quiet Don’t panic, but do pay attention. These are your go-to people. The ones who show up early, stay late, and consistently deliver results. So when they start pulling back, missing details, or emotionally checking out, it’s not just a performance issue, it’s a warning sign. Here’s what to do: 1. Pause and Notice Don’t brush it off. Check in, not just with metrics, but with them. - Ask questions beyond “How’s work?” Dive into how they’re feeling. Burnout often wears a professional smile. 2. Reignite Their Why High performers thrive on purpose. When the mission becomes mundane or unclear, motivation fades. - Remind them of the bigger picture. Show how their role matters. 3. Challenge, Don’t Overload Sometimes they’re not tired, they’re bored. Routine kills drive. Find ways to stretch them again; new projects, leadership roles, innovation rooms. - But be careful not to dump more on their plate. Grow them, don’t grind them. 4. Recognize, Reward, Repeat Appreciation goes a long way. Let them know you see their effort. Celebrate wins, even the quiet ones. - It’s not always about bonuses, sometimes, it’s about being valued. 5. Create Space for Rest Yes, even the strongest need rest. Encourage real time off. Model balance. - High performers often feel guilty resting, until they burn out completely. Remember: When a high performer starts slipping, it’s not just their flame that’s dimming - It’s a reflection of the environment. Light them up again… before they burn out for good. Need help identifying what’s draining your team’s energy? DM me or hop on my calendar to book a slot here: https://lnkd.in/eWwGtnHs