Top Ten Tips for Motivating your Team

“Motivate them, train them, care about them, and make winners out of them... they'll treat the customers right. And if customers are treated right, they'll come back.”
J. Marriott Jr

I like to think that managers are inspirational in their actions and motivate teams intentionally to achieve objects and targets.

We all love being part of a successful team but are we effective motivators when we are required to be or is it luck?

Here are some top tips to consider when creating those changes in performance that will have you and your team standing in number one spot in no time.

  1. Lead by example
    Be a great Manager. Being great is contagious. People like to be part of something great. Be sure you “walk the talk” and make sure your actions and words are consistent.
  2. Set goals
    Setting goals gives you a clear destination to aim for. It allows you to plan and set strategies in place to get where you want to go. Make sure the goals are ambitious and you inspire people to reach out and meet them.
  3. Create a positive environment.
    Promote an atmosphere that makes all employees feel enthused and an important part of the team. Ensure there are no favourites.
  4. Right job for the right person
    You can improve employee motivation by improving employee confidence. Assign individuals with tasks you know they will enjoy or will be particularly good at. Play to their strengths.
  5. Understanding what motivates your team
    For some it is reward such as a salary or status, promotion, relationship with peers, personal growth, work conditions, responsibility etc. For others it might be interest. The subject of the work they do is also personally engaging. Fear is the third motivating factor. Some adverse consequence is perceived as a result of not doing a task. Examples might include: falling behind in promotion, losing face, risks to safety or security. Remember that different things motivate different people. Take the time to get to know your team and understand what is important to them as individuals and as a group.
  6. Encourage and Empower your team to develop new ways of working
    By allowing employees to make suggestions, you can motivate them to think of new and improved ways of doing things. An organisation that appreciates employee input motivates staff to be creative. This spurs them on when things go well and they learn when things do not go as expected.
  7. Delegate and show trust
    Delegating provides a clear message to a team that you trust them. By undertaking tasks, it provides them with an opportunity to explore their full potential.
  8. Train and develop
    Help employees improve their professional skills through coaching, external training programs, vocational training or in house career development. Your team will feel you are investing in them. This investment will be rewarded by loyalty.
  9. Provide feedback
    So often, employees feel that management only notices them when something is going wrong. Let the team know how they are doing and what they are doing well. Effective feedback will not only praise the results but also highlight the traits or behaviours that are to be continued or changed.
  10. Honor your promises
    Failure to follow through on promises will result in a loss of trust.

...See you on the podium!

Matt Miles & Bobby Singh
Consultants at QED Consulting