What do you as a founder do to hold up the team spirit?

Question

Drama is a massive productivity drain for startup teams. Morale goes out the window and your ability to execute and grow reduces significantly. What do you as a founder do to hold up the spirit?

Priya E. Abraham · Accepted Answer

@jennifer00 Hi Jennifer - Couldn't agree more. Staying positive and calm helps volumes, which in my understanding starts with self-awareness and self-care. Giving co-founders/team members the opportunity for reflection helps establish common ground, define shared values, and ultimately forms the glue needed to survive hard times. The thing is it needs time ....
Do you set time aside for keeping up team morale or do you do it on-the-go?

Imran Rehman · Answer

I really like the work Dorethea has been doing around this in Berlin. Sadly her blog article is in German, do only for those who can read German or can use deepl to translate it. Have posted link below. 
As a team coach and founder, I think you need to create a tension-based approach and then a common language as founders so you can use it to deal with drama, friction, conflict or tension. 
A tension based approach goes a little like this. The only thing that is natural to any organisation is tension, confusion and under performance, the rest is leadership. 
Then help as a team to create a common language around tensions that break it into relational stuff (with myself or interpersonal) and governance stuff (your role in operations and organisational governance).

https://volate.de/anatomie-toxischer-gruenderkonflikte/

Jennifer · Answer

Hey Priya, definitely not an easy task...Stay positive first will help in keeping team morale then focus the team's effort on results and data, to align everyone towards the same goal. 
There is certainly more to it and a lot of soft skills at play, but this is a good starter from my experience.
What were your observations in these situations?

Jennifer · Answer

@cyberconnecting Really well said Priya! I always take some time to work on myself and to evaluate why people act a certain way. I try to understand what were the events that led to those circumstances. Taking a step back and observing for a little while, lets you see the situation clearer which leads you to act more objectively. But I do it on-the-go when the situation is minor and is only stress related, where people need a positive energy to keep them going. I guess it really depends on the situation.
What about you? would love to hear your thoughts

What do you as a founder do to hold up the team spirit?

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