An Engaged Team Sacrifices on a Regular Basis

The word sacrifice isn’t sexy or exciting for most people but it’s evidence of a highly engaged team! Check out what I mean…

Sacrifice Ego

Team members who are full engaged in the company’s mission and the role they play don’t care who gets the credit for success. They will easily put aside their own time “on the stage” to put someone else in the spotlight. They will also readily correct you if you praise them for something that their team member in fact was responsible for achieving and be quick to give kudos and heartfelt congratulations to other team members. Where there’s engagement there’s low ego-driven behaviours1

Sacrifice Time

Highly engaged team members are willing to put in more time without recognition to make a project come together or to keep a client happy. It means that they’ll jump in the car and personally deliver an order to make sure that the client is happy! It means that if they’re working on their own tasks and projects but see another team member overwhelmed, they’ll jump in to give their time for peer support or mentorship. By contrast, disengaged team members typically work in silos and focus on their own tasks and deadlines. When we interview, we simply ask, “You see another team member overwhelmed with tasks, what do you do?”  Many people will answer, “Well that depends, if I have my own work completed I’ll offer to help.  If I’m too busy then I won’t offer”. That’s a fair conclusion but not the attitude or answer we’re looking for. Look for team members willing to jump in to help and sacrifice their own time to help a teammate!

Sacrifice Money

You may be thinking to yourself “No way Nikki” but it’s true! During the darkest moments of COVID, team members reached out and offered to work for less or forgo their commissions all together to put the funds back into marketing the business! That’s commitment, that’s sacrifice, that’s a crazy level of engagement! Of course, I didn’t take team members up on their offers but it was comforting to know what they were willing to sacrifice for the health of the organization – so powerful!

Sacrifice Own Ambitions

My mentor Rob Rudy said something that I’ll never forget. He said we were responsible for making decisions that were in the best interest of the company. Not the department, not the individual, but the company.  We’ve used that guide as a leadership team whether that has been for direction on financial decisions, hiring and firing or strategic initiatives. As a result, the team operates in the same fashion. They will put aside their own agenda to ensure that the company is stable, strong and getting the best of their efforts.

All of this is really extraordinary to see! While I share some of these examples, leaders, it’s important to note that we have created a very healthy environment and collaborative team approach. When team members are provided every opportunity to have a great work-life balance, they put forward next level efforts! I’m in no way promoting sacrificial giving to the point of exhaustion or putting others needs before their own in an unhealthy way.

This is simply to highlight the positive impact that balanced sacrifice can have on your team and the positive ripple effect throughout your organization! When you only accept A players on your team, you will see the results. A-level players feel a connection to the company’s vision which will undoubtedly bring your organization to the next level!

Any stories of sacrifice to share? As always, we would love your feedback below 😊