Asking questions can build collaboration

Encourage a collaborative attitude amongst your team by asking simple questions such as "How can I help?" and "What can I do?" to create a culture of togetherness, writes Lolly Daskal, executive leadership coach. Daskal also encourages co-workers to appreciate team members' efforts and tackle problem-solving together to promote unity.

Put it into practice: Remember there's no "I" in team, but there is a "U" in success. "The language of leadership is collaboration, and the dialect is encouragement, appreciation, unity, and support," Daskal writes.

Recognizing your team members for a job well done on a weekly basis can create a sense of psychological safety, but psychologist Jordan Scott Birnbaum says we resist doing that because we may feel such frequency will only pump up an employee's ego. Recognition, though, isn't the same as a compliment, Birnbaum clarifies; it's a clear message that their work matters to the organization and their job is secure.

Put it into practice: Although managers are busier than ever, don't be tempted to skip weekly feedback for employees. "Withholding recognition never makes people work harder; it makes top performers leave and locks everyone else into a level of performance just above getting fired," Birnbaum writes.

Being easily distracted from the task at hand may be your brain's way of asking for a break just to daydream, rest or process information, writes JiJi Lee, who recommends blocking out some time on your calendar to allow your mind to wander. If the distraction is not helpful, such as doomscrolling social media, stop yourself when you notice and make a list of 10 other useful actions you could be taking, Lee recommends.

Concertgoers listening to live music can get into the groove with synchronized heartbeats, according to research from the Waseda University in Japan. "Music-induced synchronization of heart rate may be the mechanism underlying the coherent behavior of a large audience in a theater," said researcher Ryota Nomura, who also found that heartbeat synchronization doesn't depend on listeners' musical preferences or mood.

Like me, you've probably worked in companies and organizations where recognition for a job well done was scarce. In fact, in most of the places where recognition was rare, leaders created a culture of fear and loathing. One radio job and one university job were like that for me. The bosses in both places felt intimidation was more effective than recognition. In fact, you didn't really want to be on the boss's radar at all. You did your job and really hoped no one noticed one way or the other.

I didn't last long at either job, and neither did anyone else with the talent and motivation to find a different place with a culture of recognition and connection. In a job where fear generates the culture, you feel connected to others through that traumatic emotion. When you're in a culture that values your skills, though, the connection to your team runs deeper. You have time to explore each other's qualities and get to know each other outside of being huddled together in terror that one of you will be gone the next day.

As leaders, it's up to us to create that psychological safety our teams need to do their best and bring their best selves to the job every day. Henna Pryor writes that leaders must provide that "birdsong" that lets everyone know there are no predators around, ready to pounce on any mistake or perceived shortcoming. Jordan Scott Birnbaum emphasizes the need for weekly recognition of accomplishments and progress and not just hollow compliments that they may soon resent. Lolly Daskal suggests asking questions such as "How can I help?" and "What do you think?" to reassure your team that you support them and want their ideas.

How are you supporting your team? Are you chirping loud enough so they know they're safe to stretch themselves, make mistakes and learn and grow?

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