Your team member seems disengaged during meetings. How can you reignite their passion and motivation?

Be observant about the signs and symptoms of low morale and engagement. The signals to look out for include; lack of enthusiasm, low energy, moodiness, abesentism during meetings and irritability. Have a dialogue with the affected person to find out what's the root cause. Don't be quick to judge and make assumptions.

In my experience this type of situation has arisen frequently where a participative member goes silent. I take it as an expected occurrence which can be handled. Disengagement can be due to personal or/and professional reasons. A leader should engage with such a member one-on-one and encourage the member to express the problems clearly. The member should be assured of all possible help. Leader must follow up with such person regularly, walking up to him if required at times and encourage him to be strong. In addition to helping the sulking member, such a gesture also encourages other members to have empathy and creates a healthy work environment.

Open dialogue gives room for people to be candid and open. Open ended questions are great for probing and family gathering more detailed information. Be an active listener who does not interrupt people's conversations and ask clarifying questions where needed. Have empathy in order to put yourself in that person's shoes to get their perspectives.

Discuss the personal goals of the people affected and ask how you can help them achieve. Guide them I. How their goals may align with the team's collective vision and the roles that they play.

Personal goals must align with the organization roles or vice-versa. At times an individual feels that his/her capability/interest lies in some other domain whereas the role assigned to him/her is not aligned accordingly. Such situations are common and can be explained in the larger organizational perspective/interests. Notwithstanding, individual can be assured to be given opportunity as and when it occurs which would align with his/her interest passion. At times I have encouraged such individuals to contribute articles for various industry problems based on their interests/passion, helping them to get recognition from higher management. This also makes them the first choice whenever an opportunity arises and encourages them as well.

Supporting and enabling team members is the very purpose of being a leader at the helm. Biggest help/support a member can get is towards enhancing his/her capabilities in performance of the task. A new skill makes the individual feel more relevant improving his/her self-worth, and therefore his/her contribution towards the goals/vision.

Celebrating intermediate milestones and small successes goes a long way in creating a positive atmosphere, building of team spirit and most importantly a feeling of togetherness. Such events bind a team and helps them achieve more through collaboration and cooperation instead of indulging into unhealthy competition.