How Managers Can Keep Their Team Engaged and Motivated

Have you heard of management by in-flight magazine? Well, in-flight magazines might have had their budgets cut, but the practice is still alive and kicking.

The manager knows their team needs help but isn’t sure what that looks like.

I used to hear it a lot and the 90s version looked like this: the manager knows their team needs help but isn’t sure what that looks like. They happen to be flying somewhere and read an interesting article in the in-flight magazine about a new approach to meetings, team building or project management. On their return they implement what they have read. Maybe there is a workshop, or new rules for a process or even a retreat, and a new language emerges around the changes.

The company invests… and waits for results.

Months later, they’re still waiting. So they decide it wasn’t a success for them and look for the next thing to try. The Manager happens to be travelling and reads an interesting article in an in-flight magazine …

99% of the time, new approaches don’t stick because consistency and follow-up are missing.

These days we have access to so many new ideas and social media will feed you ideas so there is no lack of these ‘in-flight magazine’ moments. I’m not for a moment suggesting new ideas are a bad thing. New ideas are important and can be ground-breaking, but no once-off training, workshop or presentation is going to deliver miracles. They always need the next step.

New strategies require repetition and refinement to stick.

You need to:

• make a plan to keep the work fresh and front of mind
• revisit and build on the progress regularly
• commit to supporting your team in ways that feel consistent and reliable.

And before you think I’m suggesting you blow the budget on never-ending training, I’m not. Consistency doesn’t have to be costly or complicated:

• Team involvement: Revisit progress, identify obstacles, and keep the discussion alive.
• Frameworks in action: Use what you’ve learned consistently across projects and decisions.
• Quarterly check-ins: If you are struggling to keep the momentum, a short session with an external consultant with fresh eyes can make a huge difference.

When support and follow-through becomes a regular part of how your team operates, the results are no longer short-lived—they’re transformative. And when your team sees you are serious about changes, they are much more likely to engage with these changes and with the next idea you have too.

What do you think? Has your team had this problem too? What can you do to try to address it?

Juliet Robinson
Leadership and Change Specialist