When you start your Awesomeness group at your workplace, you’re likely to find that everyone who participates is excited and enthusiastic at the start. But as time goes on, you may find yourself facing some challenges with keeping your group members engaged.
And that’s totally normal! Even something as amazing as an Awesomeness group requires patience, perseverance, and creativity to keep going.
With that in mind, here are 5 challenges you may face after you start your Awesomeness group and how to solve them.
I’m sharing them with you for two reasons: 1) so you will know about them in advance and thus be better prepared, and 2) so you know that you’re not alone. Everyone has come across these challenges after starting an Awesomeness group. With courage and determination, you can overcome them, too.
Challenge #1: Engagement
After the initial excitement for the Awesomeness group dies down, you may have trouble keeping your members engaged. Even when you drum up interest again, engagement will ebb. In that way, it’s like a wave. It will come and go, and that’s okay.
Solution:
- Keep at it! Don’t give up on your Awesomeness group, even if people aren’t engaging in the group as much as you’d like them to (or at all).
- Make sure you set up a weekly activity, like the Spin the Wheel game where a random employee who was appreciated in the past week gets a gift and their photo taken. That is a surefire way to keep your Awesomeness group members engaged week to week.
Challenge #2: Repetitiveness
The reality of having an Awesomeness group at your workplace, especially if you have a small team, is that some people are going to be appreciated more frequently than others.
That’s okay, but the drawback is that it can lead to a feeling of repetitiveness among your group members. That, in turn, can cause boredom and disinterest, and even jealousy for the people who are being appreciated repeatedly.
Solution:
Don’t think of repetitiveness as a bad thing. If you think about it, work is all about repetition. We work in the same offices, talk to the same people, and perform the same tasks every day.
As long as the appreciation is positive, don’t judge it. Just let it flow and encourage your fellow team members to do the same. Anyone who tells you, “I don’t want to express appreciation, for it is the same people receiving it again and again,” tell them to join the wave and start the change. It’s as simple as that. Kindness and Persistence solve everything.
Challenge #3: Not Everyone Will Participate
You’ll probably find that not everyone wants to participate in the Awesomeness group. They may be too busy or too shy, or maybe they just don’t feel they have anything constructive to say. This can be disheartening, especially if you’ve worked hard to make your Awesomeness group fun and inclusive for all.
Solution:
The best thing you can do is not be worried about the people who don’t participate. In most cases, you’ll still have a large group of super enthusiastic employees who appreciate someone (or more than one person) every week. Be inspired by their joy and positivity. People take their time to change. Be okay with it.
Challenge #4: People Aren’t Always Specific Enough With Their Appreciation
It’s important for employees to be specific when they’re expressing appreciation in the Awesomeness group. Being specific tells people what exactly is appreciated, and how those who have been singled out are putting in extra effort into their work or helping and supporting each other. At the same time, it also encourages the rest of the group to do more, if they’re able.
However, some people may get tired of writing out long notes. They could be in a hurry, and so they’d rather send in a generic response rather than take the time to be more detailed.
Solution:
The best answer to this problem is to kindly ask the person who’s not being specific enough with their appreciation to do better next time. However, make sure you do this in a separate chat, away from the group. You don’t want to embarrass them in front of their coworkers. Explain what you need them to do, and why.
As long as you are polite and upbeat, and don’t accuse them of anything (like being neglectful of the rules of the Awesomeness group, or being in too much of a hurry), your message should go over well.
But remember, too, that being specific is not as important as appreciating people. Let things flow. Gently guide your group members, but also let them take their time. Otherwise, if there is too much correction, people will stop participating altogether.
Challenge #5: People Take A Long Time To Select Their Gifts
If you’ve decided to allow your activity winners to select their own gifts, then you may face the challenge of them taking too long. When they take a long time, you may be tempted to forgo taking a picture of them receiving it.
But to me, pictures are one of the most important elements of the Awesomeness group. It builds connections between coworkers by giving a face to every name and showing the joy that comes from being appreciated by your fellow human beings. It can even spark more conversations as congratulations are spread around.
That’s why it’s essential that you take one of each activity winner that receives a gift, no matter how long it takes them to select it.
Solution:
Be patient with your winners. If they seem like they’re taking an extra-long time to select a gift, though, you could try giving them a little nudge by asking them if they found something they like yet. If they still can’t make up their minds, have a casual conversation with them to help them discover what would best suit their wants or needs.
But most importantly, keep your camera on hand (or have one of your Awesomeness group facilitators do it). That way, when they do finally pick a gift, you’ll be ready! This is where a great facilitator plays a crucial role in running an Awesomeness Group
Conclusion
Your Awesomeness group can be truly awesome, in every sense of the word. Just don’t get discouraged if you hit some snags along the way. Keep working at it, don’t give up, and you’ll help everyone at your workplace get the appreciation they deserve!
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