The UX Researcher
Behavior-First Researcher
“My launch slipped a week and the team is deflated. What do I do?”
Before you fix the mood, find out what it's actually about. Have a short one-on-one with each person and ask, "Walk me through the last few days before we called the slip." Don't ask whether they're disappointed; that's leading. Listen for repeats. If the same cause comes up in three conversations, rework or fuzzy scope, that's a finding, not a gripe.
Fix the cause, not the mood. Then use the extra week to put the build in front of a few real users and bring the team to watch. Seeing someone get value from their work beats any pep talk.
Sample response from this soul.