How Do You Motivate Your Team: 24 Powerful Tips
There’s no “I” in the team, which means that only when everyone’s working as a whole, that’s when everything comes together successfully, even more so when you’re talking about a project.
But in order for everything to work out as planned by the project manager or the manager, it’s crucial that you have a well-established team in every sense of the word. Having a full-throttle and motivated team is not easy because everyone processes and works differently, which can be pretty damaging for some team members.
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But the truth is, once the team faces the obstacles together as one, that’s when everything runs smoothly. But nothing happens when there’s no motivation to fuel the team’s productivity and will to work. With that in mind, you’ll be able to learn how to motivate your team to succeed.
How do you motivate your team?
1. Micromanage is a big no-no
If your team has someone constantly looking at what you’re doing and doubting your expertise, all trust is lost. Allow your team to impress you and do things their way together.
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2. Communicate clearly
You must establish a vision and a clear set of values before you recruit any team member. Once you do it, make sure that you communicate it clearly to your team, so that everyone’s on the same page.
That will bring everyone together to maintain the focus and motivation to complete the goals that were transmitted in the beginning.
3. Establish realistic and achievable goals
This is one of the best ways to increase focus and concentration to motivate your team.
When you’re establishing goals to achieve, you need to keep in mind that you’ll only complete everything with the help of your team.
You must ensure everyone is on board with the project’s and company’s requirements. If you set realistic and achievable goals, you have the room to achieve the proposed tasks and surpass expectations.
4. Encourage
The key to maintaining motivation starts when you’re able to encourage your team time and time again.
It’s great that you challenge your team so that they climb every obstacle together. Your job is to look closely and encourage their will to work and overcome anything throughout the project lifecycle.
5. Prioritize your team’s physical and psychological health
The impact on each member of your team’s health can be pretty damaging when not taken care of. Especially regarding mental health, you must pay attention to everyone closely. In that way, you can detect when something’s not okay. When that happens, make sure that you offer your full support and that you’re willing to listen and help in any way.
Odciążenie zespołu poprzez śledzenie czasu przypisanego do każdego klienta, projektu i działania.
6. Be transparent with your team
All the encouragement and communication that you have with your team must be completely transparent and honest.
You must read the room and be delicate with everything regarding your team’s work and motivation. If you’re transparent with them, you’ll give them a true sense of security and let them know they’re in a safe space.
7. Give constructive feedback
Feedback feeds the motivation charge of every employee, whether it’s positive or negative.
Evaluate their process throughout and ensure you have a periodic conversation to provide constructive feedback. That will tell them how they’re doing and motivate them to improve at their job.
- Did you know that giving feedback is a quality of a good team leader?
8. Normalize mistakes
Mistakes happen every day in the workplace. It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how dedicated you are; some things fall apart at our hands or external factors.
You shouldn’t point fingers or find someone to blame when that happens. Of course, it is essential to talk about it and how to improve, but in the end, you should normalize it and move on.
9. Resign from unnecessary meetings
Unnecessary meetings are a cause of work overload and can break the whole day of your team’s already full day. Make sure that the meetings have exactly the people that are needed.
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10. Give new opportunities and responsibilities
When you grant new opportunities and responsibilities for new challenges, your team recognizes that you trust in them. When that trust is built between the superiors and the team, that motivation increases easily.
Make sure you look for new opportunities and trust them in your team.
11. Celebrate every team’s victory
This is an important step to motivate your team, even in remote work culture.
Yes, we know that mistakes happen, but there are also a lot of victories to be celebrated amongst your team.
To fully motivate each and every one of your employees, make sure that you celebrate each positive event that takes place. Even if it’s not meaningful for the project, you must tell them you’re paying attention.
Read also: How to measure team effectiveness
12. Respect every individual personality
Your team is full of individual characters and personalities that might clash with each other; it’s widespread.
They’re only human, and sometimes it’s hard to differentiate professional issues from personal ones. With that in mind, ensure that you’re listening to everyone equally and respecting their feelings.
TIP: Read our blog if you want to know how to manage a high performer.
13. Create team building activities
Team building activities are famous for bringing people together. When you place them in activities where everyone has to count on each other to succeed, people start to work together.
In the end, the goal is to give the team the opportunity to bond and explore together which skills they thrive.
14. Offer training for professional development
There’s nothing more fulfilling than to be offered training in many areas to improve your professional growth in and out of the project. It’s the ultimate proof of trust because it demonstrates the investment quality of the superior for the employee. It shows that there’s room for the team to grow, so training is the motivational bet that everyone needs.
15. Grant merit when it’s due
Thankfully there will be many successes and victories to celebrate throughout the project’s journey, but nothing would be even remotely possible if it wasn’t for your team. Through that logic, you need to grant your employees merit when merit is due. If you view them as essential, you need to externalize them so they can continue to work with motivation.
16. Evaluate raises for your team
Professional raises always seem taboo on all fronts, starting from within the team to the lack of clarity between employees and superiors. Whether you like to admit it or not, substantial raises are the key to every employee’s motivation. You need to metaphorically open your door and welcome everyone to talk about it and evaluate if it’s possible or not.
17. Offer flexibility
Flexibility is significant for your team. The truth is that no one works the same way, has the exact same schedule, or has the same personality. The only way to manage it all is if you offer flexibility so that everyone can work together without limitations and with the motivation to act outside the box.
18. Establish a good work environment
Your project and your team’s success ultimately depend on the quality of the work environment provided. Everything matters to increase or decrease motivation, from where you work to the work process itself. Ensure you have an excellent foundation to provide the full support of a good work environment.
19. Have a good relationship with your team
It’s essential to cultivate a good relationship with your team. Spend time getting to know every team member and learn about their likes and dislikes. Establishing a trusting and bonding relationship will generate a favorable environment amongst everyone.
20. Understand the concept of employee motivation
Understanding employee motivation is the first step to evolution. You must study and explore what it is, what you can do, and how to do it. There are a lot of facts that you can improve, and your team will be the first to notice.
21. Demonstrate that you lead by example
Figuring out how you can improve your team’s productivity and motivation is not easy but necessary. Even harder is the realization that you don’t have only to establish cause but have to lead by example. Ensure your team sees that you’re teaching and guiding them, but you are also equal.
22. Invest in performance reviews
Performance reviews are much needed to evaluate the employee’s journey while working on a project and/or job. Although performance reviews are stressful and formal, this is the best process to share feedback and improvement advice. Ensure that both parties are prepared to embark on this evaluation process because it could be good for the employees’ motivation.
22. Ensure to transmit the significance of team collaboration
A great team has to work together no matter what. Every goal’s success only happens when everyone uses their skills to unite. Make sure that your team understands that every project will only be completed when they work in collaboration.
23. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Although you have to guide and lead your team, you’re not super-human. You’re dedicated and trying to be the best version of yourself, but sometimes something needs to be fixed. When that happens, feel free to let people in and show them you could use help. It will bring you and your team closer together in ways you could never have imagined possible.
Wnioski
As you’ve seen throughout this article, there are many fronts that you can tackle to motivate your team to succeed. Encouraging a group of people is difficult, but you can start by trying some of the ones on the list to see the results.
If it has a positive effect, which you will see in the future, you’ll know you’re on the right path toward your team’s motivation.
Make sure to find time in your schedule to meet with each team member to understand their feedback and how you can improve it. In some cases, it’s so specific that figuring it out with the team member is crucial to understand their perspective.