When it comes to the workplace setting, a leader holds an important role to keep things going. Having different people in a team or organization can be challenging for many. People from different walks of life and backgrounds meet in one place. A leader’s job is to find a way to build a community to unite these people.
On top of being a leader, being inspirational is a must in a team. It is common knowledge that people think differently. And so, people can have different perceptions, preferences, and levels of satisfaction towards their job. When this happens, it becomes more complicated to push for a singular and united goal. So, mastering how to motivate people at work should be something you need to start on if you hold a leadership position.
How do motivate people at work? Here are some simple tips to note:
Set Goals And Let Everyone Know
Your employees want a challenge, it’s human nature. If they show up every day with the same menial tasks to work on with no goal in sight, it’s easy to become unmotivated. Setting achievable goals for your employees allows them to work towards something concrete and will also give you as a manager something to measure their performance against.
If employees aren’t meeting goals, you will know it’s time to let them go or work on their performance. When goals are achieved, make sure they are celebrated or at least acknowledged. This doesn’t have to be extravagant, but a simple incentive like a team lunch or internal email recognizing the success will keep employees moving towards their next goals.
Celebrate Achievements
Part of what makes setting small and measurable goals so important is that it provides plenty of opportunities to celebrate your team’s hard work. This doesn't mean you need to give a standing ovation to every employee who made it to work on time, but it is crucial to let everyone know exactly how (and how much) each of their contributions moves the organization forward.
You can also do this in a more subtle manner. Catch people doing it right and acknowledge it. When you tell someone they have done a good job, they feel motivated to do further good work. It boosts confidence to know they are appreciated. This also applies to recognizing that someone’s done something brave, for example reporting a hazardous or uncomfortable situation.
Have A Positive Outlook
Are you the type of manager who focuses on the negative? Or are you the type of manager who focuses on the positive? You can have a profound effect on your employees’ motivation by doing the latter. A positive attitude is infectious, and it can help you and your employees start to view problems as opportunities to get creative rather than as difficulties that need to be overcome.
Positivity breeds motivation. Positively presenting new ideas and projects encourages employees to support the success of the company. When everyone understands the company goals the level of employee motivation can increase dramatically.
This also applies to problem-solving. If there’s an issue it’s more likely to be solved if it’s addressed positively, over an informal cup of coffee, rather than with negativity.
Create A Friendly Environment
Having a one-on-one relationship with your staff members will make you more personable in their eyes, and will help you better understand your team to find what it is that motivates each person individually. Having individual relationships with staff members will also help dissolve the barrier in their minds that separates you from them.
When your staff members feel they have a personal connection with you, they will be motivated to not let you down. A study by Stefan Stürmer of the University of Kiel shows that people are more likely to help out those they perceive to be “like them,” so making an effort to show you are as much a part of the team as the folks you manage will have a profound psychological effect on how they view the work they are doing for you.
Provide Opportunities To Grow
Team members feel more valuable when they are learning and enhancing their skills. To motivate and inspire your team to achieve great results you should provide your employees with opportunities for growth and development. These opportunities should be tailored specifically to suit the individual employee.
These opportunities can be in the form of further training, setting challenging targets, inviting an employee to shadow you, or spending your own time teaching and mentoring somebody. Focus on teaching your team transferable skills they could use in different positions and encourage them to set themselves learning goals.
Key Takeaway
Motivation is an essential part of any workplace and you should be constantly striving to make your employees feel motivated and inspired. If you do this, you’re sure to achieve the results that you need. You can start with the simple yet clear practices given above and then discover your own way of enriching your team. This way, you learn and grow with them. This is an embodiment of teamwork after all.
