How to Motivate Your Team the Right Way

The success of any business is dependent upon the success of the teams that run it.  Without a team, the business will fail so it is crucial to keep your team motivated for the well-being of the company.  However, motivating and challenging a team is hard work.  You need to make sure you are leading them toward something that they feel passionate about as opposed to leading with authority.  Therefore, it is essential for managers to find new and innovative ways to motivate their teams on a daily basis.  Here are a few ways to motivate your team in order to achieve a happy and productive workplace.

Pay Them What They Are Worth

If you want to keep good employees you have to be willing to pay them because the bottom line is this: if you don’t pay them what they are worth, someone else will.  Make sure your employee’s salaries are consistent with what other people in your industry and area are paying.  Most people would be willing to leave their job for even a small increase in salary, so don’t lose good people because you aren’t paying them enough.  Employees who are fairly compensated feel valued and appreciated.

Provide a Good Work Environment

Everyone wants to work in a place that is full of positivity.  It doesn’t take much to contribute to a happy and healthy environment.  Keep the office neat and clean and provide simple amenities such as coffee, drinks, and snacks.  Provide flex scheduling if possible to promote a culture that encourages a healthy work/life balance.  As the team leader, walk around with a smile and take time to ask your team about their day.  Positivity is contagious and before you know it everyone will be smiling and sharing that same positive energy.  Employees will be much more motivated to work in a place that is comfortable and inviting and the people genuinely care about one another.

Provide Professional Development Opportunities

The members of your team will be more valuable to your company and to themselves when they have opportunities to learn new skills.  Provide your team with the training they need to advance their careers and become more competent in their position.  Give them every opportunity to keep up with this fast-paced and constantly changing workforce.

Foster Team-Building

It takes more than just a salary to motivate a team.  You need to be sure that your team can work well together to achieve a common goal and there is no better way to do that than to provide team-building opportunities.  Team-building activities are a fun way to help employees get to know one another, increase problem-solving skills, improve communication skills, become better leaders, and just have some good fun together.

Set Clear Goals

Many employees feel like they waste time at work because they don’t know what is expected of them.  As a leader, it’s your job to sit down with your team and set clearly defined goals.  They need to have a good understanding of what their priorities are and how they need to go about meeting those goals.  Employees are more motivated when they have clear goals to work toward.

Avoid Micromanaging

No one likes working for a manager who is constantly looking over their shoulder and second-guessing everything they did.  Instead, set clear goals for your team and then take a step back and let them do their jobs.  This will foster a relationship of trust and will empower employees to do their best work.

Give Them Praise

Never underestimate the power of a pat on the back.  Employees want to work for managers who appreciate their hard work and take notice of their accomplishments.  The power of praise goes a long way in motivating your team to work harder.  Take time to verbally praise your team, send an email, post a note to the bulletin board, or make mention of their hard work during a meeting.  These small acts of appreciation make employees feel valued and contribute to a happier and more motivated team.