How to motivate your team to perform

1. APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS

In your meetings, start off by making sure your team know that you value what they contribute. When employees feel appreciated, they tend to be more productive, so showing them that they’re valued is a great way to motivate them to continue to be involved. Thank everyone for what they’ve done and acknowledge the team’s contribution to the overall business’ successes and growth.

Even if results and performance weren’t what you were hoping for, showcase the positive work that was undertaken and constructively highlight areas for improvement. This way you recognise any shortcomings whilst not losing the positive atmosphere or draining the team’s enthusiasm. Keep in mind that just as you might want to give your team feedback, they may also have some pointers for you as a leader or employer. Getting feedback from your team is important, as listening to them and taking their points on board is a great way to help them become more comfortable, and will immediately make them feel more enthusiastic about their job.

Ask your team what has been going well and what they feel could be improved. If they point out areas for improvement in policies or processes, take these into account and work with them to put a plan in place that addresses them. However, if their suggestions are unrealistic or untenable, don’t shy away from saying so; having strong two-way communication with your team is a great thing, but only if it’s honest and transparent.

2. SET AND FOLLOW A CONSISTENT STRATEGY

Though involving your whole team in the ongoing strategy of the business often ends up in the case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, it’s still important for your team to know the vision, especially if it is continually changing due to market forces. By ensuring updates on the business are clearly communicated to your team, you provide them with a better understanding of the objectives, which in turn gives their work a greater level of importance.

Get your team together and go over your plan on a regular basis to reinforce the goals of the business; annually is way too long in the life of a company. It’s also crucial to ensure the goals set are clear and relatable to your team, and that they understand what their role is in achieving them. Remember that the harder they have to visualise the goals, the more difficult they’ll find it to reach them. Even if your targets might be a little lofty, setting tangible goals (using the SMART technique is a great way to do this) immediately gives your team something to strive for on a monthly basis, and can inspire them to exceed expectations.

3. NEW ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE

Instituting an employee engagement initiative is a great way to get people excited about going to work again.

Employee engagement activities come in all shapes and sizes, and the costs can vary significantly, but the key point is to ensure that it ties into your overall strategy (and budget) and the areas you want to develop within your team. For example, if you’re looking to improve the productivity of your employees, try instilling a little competitive spirit into the team by instituting a regular award that acknowledges a job well done, or opens up a clearer path for career development to encourage upskilling. On the other hand, if increasing collaboration is your key focus, put a simple process in place to encourage teamwork – e.g. sports in the park after work, a regular team lunch or evening drinks. Employee engagement is critically important and has many impacts on an organisation, so remember that if you reward your people, they’ll likely reward you back in kind.

Additionally, although you shouldn’t celebrate every week (or even month), putting on events for your team every so often is a great way to keep everyone motivated. Whether it’s a mid-year away day or an in-office charity drive, let your employees see that you’re not an all-work/no-play environment.

SUMMARY

It’s important for the leadership team to continue to set and potentially realign the pace within the business and lead by example. By doing what you can to motivate your team, you’ll benefit from a happier, more valued workforce with an increase in productivity due to your initiatives. Looking for more tips on how to motivate your team to improve performance? Feel free to get in touch with us today.

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Have you ever wondered if your team is motivated enough by you and if your team appreciates you as a leader? Find out more at: What If Your Team Had To Give A Reference On YOU. How Would You Fare?