How can you prevent complacency from becoming an issue in your team?

2 Encourage learning and development

Another cause of complacency is a lack of growth and development. If your team does not have opportunities to learn new skills, acquire new knowledge, or take on new challenges, they may feel stagnant, unfulfilled, or obsolete. To avoid this, you need to encourage learning and development for your team, which can include formal training, mentoring, coaching, shadowing, or self-directed learning. Learning and development help your team enhance their competencies, expand their perspectives, and adapt to changing needs. They also help you create a culture of curiosity, innovation, and continuous improvement.

3 Promote diversity and inclusion

A third cause of complacency is a lack of diversity and inclusion. If your team does not have diverse backgrounds, experiences, opinions, or perspectives, they may feel isolated, excluded, or indifferent. To avoid this, you need to promote diversity and inclusion for your team, which can include hiring, retaining, and developing diverse talent, fostering a respectful and supportive work environment, soliciting and valuing diverse input, and celebrating and leveraging diverse contributions. Diversity and inclusion help your team increase their creativity, collaboration, and engagement. They also help you build a stronger and more resilient team.

5 Challenge and inspire change

A fifth cause of complacency is a lack of challenge and inspiration. If your team does not face any difficulties, risks, or opportunities for change, they may feel comfortable, safe, or content. To avoid this, you need to challenge and inspire change for your team, which can include asking questions, providing feedback, suggesting ideas, offering alternatives, or initiating actions. Challenge and inspiration help your team stimulate their thinking, test their assumptions, explore their potential, and embrace change. They also help you create a dynamic, agile, and competitive team.