KEEP EVERYONE MOTIVATED
Motivation is both key to success and also hugely personal. This week we’ll be showing you how you keep everyone motivated
UNDERSTAND PEOPLES MOTIVATION
No two people are the same, and no two people’s drivers are the same. When you get a new team or build a new team the first thing you need to know about people is what drives them. What does success mean to them and how do they feel valued and motivated? Make sure to know your team well enough to understand what each individual person’s motivator is.
CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT OF OPENNESS
There’s nothing more demotivating than not having someone to talk to. You want to make sure you’re creating an environment where you are both open and accessible, but so is your team. Encourage conversations across the team, put in time with people so they can talk about things other than work, even in work time. Make an effort that people have touchpoints with others every day, especially if you have a remote workforce. Creating a collaborative and open environment breeds team bonding and when you feel connected to those you’re working with you are naturally more motivated.
BE CLEAR AND HONEST IN COMMS
Confusion is a killer of motivation. A team that trusts their manager both personally and also as a decision maker if a lot more motivated. By being clear and honest with comms you build trust, and trust in your team and what you’re doing is hugely beneficial to keeping people motivated. No one wants to be working on something for the sake of it, or not knowing their purpose. Honesty and clarity is so important when keeping a team motivated.
SET CHECK IN POINTS DAILY
Motivation lags when you feel like you’re not moving, or every day stays the same. Set check in points with your team, even if it’s only a 15 minute stand up to reiterate that everyone is working together, you have a great team and a goal and we’re all moving forward.
GET ANONYMOUS INPUTS
Some people don’t like to say how they feel. It can be awkward and unsettling to have difficult conversations and sometimes you don’t always want to voice your opinion because it feels intimidating. Create a space where people can be honest without having to directly tell you to your face. We use lattice updates but you can also do anonymous surveys or suggestion spaces.
UNDERSTAND THE WHY
If you’ve been with us for a while and seen a lot of our earlier stuff, you’ll know that understanding the WHY is what leads to succes, it’s what motivates us to carry on. It’s the same within businesses. If you’re working on a goal but you’re not really sure why that goal is there, or what it means for you and the Company it’s easy to get disassociated. Make sure you’re bringing people into full understanding of goals and projects you’re working towards so that everyone understands the WHY.
FOCUS ON INDIVIDUALS
All those motivations that you know about, you need to actually make sure they’re put to use. Set up one to ones with each of your direct report and make sure you’re aware and bringing the workload down to what their final motivation is, especially when times get hard.
ENABLE PERSPECTIVE
Motivation can completely go out the window when the pressure gets too high, or the stakes feel insurmountable. Enabling your team to have both perspective of the wider goal they’re working towards, but also the depth of expectation can help alleviate pressure and bring a lighter approach to motivation.
Ultimately when you’re trying to keep your team motivated, the thing to focus on is the WHY and the people. We’re all different but we all crave an understanding of what we’re doing to keep getting up and doing it. By encouraging openness and communication whilst also fostering inclusion in the WHY of a workload, you will keep everyone motivated, even through the tougher times.
