Building Your Team's Moral, Pride, and Spirit. Gene Klann

and in cross-cultural settings. They meet universal human needs and thus cross over all lines of race, gender, ethnicity, and age.

      Why is it important for leaders to have the tools to build morale, pride, and spirit in the teams they lead? Teams that possess these characteristics will be able to multiply their energy, achievements, efficiency, and productivity. Not only will there be a positive effect on how members relate to one another, but there will also be tangible benefits for the organization. When the various teams in an organization have elevated morale, pride, and spirit, the following benefits can be realized:

      • Satisfied customers

      • Improved quality

      • Increased productivity

      • Lower operating costs

      • Increased competitiveness

      • Increased profits

      • Improved safety

      • Reduced waste of all types: material, time, human potential, and organizational potential

      • Reduced absenteeism, tardiness, sick leave, turnover, recruiting costs, complaints, grievances, sabotage, and substance abuse

      Meeting Social Needs

      People have a variety of needs: physiological, safety, and social. The social needs generally have two components: the desire to be validated by others and the desire to be part of something that is greater than oneself. Building morale, pride, and spirit helps to meet these social needs.

      We are naturally drawn to people, situations, and organizations that validate us. What does being validated mean? For many of us, it means the following:

      • Being appreciated, recognized, and treated with respect, trust, dignity, and fairness

      • Being encouraged to feel special, valued, important, significant, cared about, and worthy

      • Receiving attention, acceptance, affirmation, and loyalty

      • Getting support, courtesy, and understanding

      • Being encouraged to feel that we belong, are affiliated, and are key members of the team

      • Being encouraged to feel good about ourselves and having our self-esteem boosted

      For many people, such treatment can be motivating and inspiring. It can create a positive emotional connection between the person offering validation and the person being validated. Characteristically, the person offering validation gets a positive response from the person being validated: more cooperation, support, loyalty, and productivity. The validated person will identify with the validating source—the leader, as well as the team and the team’s vision. He or she will have a new sense of purpose and will actually work harder. There will be a new sense of belonging, emotional support, and blending of attitudes. Team members will commonly assume more ownership, buy-in, and identification with the team’s goals. The team will then experience greater trust, harmony, goodwill, cooperation, and accommodation. This will result in greater productivity and efficiency. More of the team’s potential will be met.