How do you motivate your team?
I recently wrote about team building and how leadership style affects individual and team performance. Motivation is a related topic and equally important.
Appreciation is thanking, recognition is seeing, and encouragement is bringing hope for the future.
Motivate Your Team
Change introduces uncertainty, stress and anxiety in those affected by and those implementing change. Inevitably this has an impact on motivation and performance. Success is more likely if you motivate your team. Indeed motivation is an intrinsic part of team building and a challenge for the team leader.
Unfortunately some managers use fear or draw from accrued good will to achieve results. However, this only works for a while and ultimately damages credibility. A leadership style with a people-orientation is key to motivating staff. Use the following tips to motivate your team. And review performance and your approach to motivation regularly.
#1 Clear Goal Setting
Goal-setting is linked to task performance and is the main source of intrinsic motivation―that is, motivation driven by an interest in the task. Setting specific and clear goals leads to greater output and better team performance. Therefore, set unambiguous, measurable and clear goals with a deadline for completion to avoid any misunderstanding.
#2 Empower People
Employee participation places emphasis on communication, openness and the direct involvement of team members in decision-making. Provide support and facilitate discussion to help the team solve problems. As confidence, commitment and competence increases delegate tasks and let team members take decisions or find solutions to problems.
Leadership Thought
To motivate your team you need to start seeing yourself as a role model. As an example to others.
Motivational leaders set high standards of accountability for themselves and their behaviours. Motivational leaders have vision, courage and integrity.
Before you motivate your team be sure to motivate yourself. Be the sort of person others can get behind and support.
#3 Give the Right Support
Change usually implies that the team has to learn new skills to understand and interpret new ways of working. The team leader must give opportunity for the team and individual to develop and try new approaches. Make sure your team has appropriate training, development resources, and time to confirm their new skills.
#4 Communicate the Vision
Defining, developing, articulating, and communicating the vision is relatively straightforward. Inspiring others to follow is the real challenge! To inspire your team you need a simple, clear, and relevant vision of the way ahead. What’s more, you too need to be credible, trusted and believable.
#5 Show Appreciation
You must invest time and energy in your team. Everybody needs to be appreciated and your team is no different! They need to know that you have a personal interest and commitment in them. Recognising their worth shows that they are valued and the work they do really does matter.
A leader shapes and shares a vision which gives point to the work of others – Charles Handy
Motivate your team. A team whose members are aligned with its purpose feel challenge in their work and will have a strong sense of friendship. What’s more, the team will be motivated and take responsibility for their actions. Motivate your team and see the benefits.
Have Your Say
How do you motivate others? What motivates you? Please join the discussion.
Image: Nordea Riga Marathon.
[...] Tristan Wember shares a few tips on how to motivate your team. [...]