Written by Jenny Catton
If you’re in charge of a team, one of the most important skills you can learn is how to motivate others. With the right motivation, your team will be happier and more effective. Motivation can also help increase productivity and improve staff retention.
The first step to motivating your team is to remember that not everyone is driven by the same things. Quite often, when we hear the word ‘motivation’, we think of monetary reward but not all people are inspired purely by money.
Many people feel rewarded simply by having their hard work recognised. For others, the opportunity to learn new skills and develop themselves professionally may be a great source of motivation. So the key to successfully motivating your team is to consider the different personalities and find small ways to boost the team’s morale regularly. It’s often more effective to use quick and simple motivational techniques on a daily basis rather than promising a single reward sometime in the future.
Some companies prefer to implement a more structured rewards programme where staff are rewarded for hitting specific targets. Depending on the culture of the company, this can be incredibly effective but it’s important to ensure that the targets are achievable. It can be very demotivating to be set unrealistic goals. It’s also important not to create rivalry between staff members if you need them to work as a team. Rather than promising individual rewards, you might prefer to offer a team prize – such as a staff day out to help encourage teamwork.
Here are some simple ways to motivate your team:
- Recognise hard work – people like to feel valued, so a simple ‘thank you’ at the end of each day can go a long way to maintaining good relationships with your team.
- Give team members responsibility – when people feel that they’re being involved in the planning and decision-making processes, they feel more in control of their daily tasks and enjoy helping to contribute to the success of the team.
- Create a supportive environment – from time-to-time it’s natural for people to feel under pressure. If they know they can turn to their colleagues for help it will enable them to stay motivated even during difficult times. Simply having a twice-weekly team meeting where people can raise any issues or ask for help can create a strong team environment.
- Make sure people understand how important their role is – some team members, such as junior members or part-time employees may feel that their role isn’t as vital as others. By explaining what effect their involvement contributesto the long-term success of the company you will make them realise the importance of their role.
- Arrangingsocial activities outside work can be a great way to build motivation within a team. You can offer nights out as a reward for completing a particular project, or simply make them a regular occasion to help your team members bond.
For more advice about leadership visit: www.businessleadershipadvice.com
