7 Ways To Motivate Your Team As A Manager
Contents
Motivating your team is essential for all line managers, but individual motivations can vary.
Here, we will cover proven methods to inspire a team and common pitfalls to avoid.
Learning to motivate at team is cover on our Line manager training courses, where you can practice these methods in person.
What Is Motivation?
Motivation is the drive a person has to achieve their goals.
In part, this drive will be innate or intrinsic. Different people are born with different levels of drive.
However, drive can also be generated extrinsically.
This is what a line manager needs to focus on.
The most significant contributors to extrinsic team motivation are:
- Work environment
- Management style
- Rewards
By encouraging team members to maximise their effort, a line manager can improve their team’s productivity at zero cost, ultimately increasing its profits.
Our Top 7 Tips For Motivating Your Team
Let’s look at some ways a line manager can inspire their team.
1. Set clear, achievable goals
Clarity is essential in all areas of business.
Staff are likely to be much more motivated if they understand precisely what the company is trying to achieve, and how they can help meet those expectations.
By setting clear targets with measurable progress, staff can see the impact of their performance.
SMART Goals provide a great template for measurable goals, we strongly them for any team.
This helps them to engage with the project and gives a sense of satisfaction upon completion.
2. Provide constructive feedback
When you provide staff with constructive feedback, you show that you want to help them succeed and will invest time to help them do so.
Whether you explain how they can improve or praise them for a job well done, offering your team members constructive feedback is an excellent way to motivate them.
If a team member can see that you are invested in their performance and want to help them succeed, they are much more likely to work hard to repay your faith.
Giving constructive feedback is key for stopping team conflict before it crops up! Without it, employees will quickly start to feel underappreciated.
3. Reward good performance
Some personalities are motivated by the feeling of achievement after reaching a target.
The prospect of bonuses and staff days out can be an excellent way of driving your team towards success.
It can also be a great way to increase morale and build a sense of camaraderie as everyone works towards a common goal.
Of course, rewards don’t always have to be material.
Praise for a job well done is an excellent way of recognising good performance.
If one of your team members reaches a target, make sure that they feel appreciated by acknowledging their achievement, ideally publicly in front of your whole team.
4. Encourage their personal development
People tend to be more motivated if they can see that you care about them.
One way of showing this is taking an active interest in their personal development.
Offering guidance on career advancement and sending them on training courses is a great way to do this.
5. Build a sense of team spirit
A team that works well together will be more motivated to achieve their mutual goals.
Building a rapport with your team alongside encouraging them to collaborate together will make them feel more appreciated.
If team members get on well, it makes for a happier office – leading to higher productivity.
Occasional social events can help team members to bond and enjoy each other’s company more.
6. Show leadership
As a manager, you set the standard for your team.
You should be approachable while maintaining your authority and respect, a difficult balance to strike!
Ensure that you lead from the front and show that you’re motivated and excited to be at work – smile, be positive and proactive.
Your approach will rub off on your team members.
7. Develop trust
Good working relationships rely on trust.
If a team member doesn’t trust you, they won’t want to work for you.
Developing trust takes time but pays huge dividends.
The key to building trust is to do what you say and say what you do.
2 Mistakes To Avoid
Let’s look at a couple of behaviours that are guaranteed to kill your team’s motivation.
1. Micromanaging
Taking an interest in how your team are doing is essential, but don’t overdo it.
Constantly micromanaging an employee’s work comes across as not trusting them to do their work correctly.
2. Misunderstanding individual motivations
Don’t assume that all employees are motivated in the same way.
While financial bonuses or other perks drive some people, others are energised by the satisfaction of achieving a set goal.
Offering financial rewards to someone driven by reaching goals and vice versa can reduce their motivation rather than increase it.
Final Thoughts
Motivation is vital to the performance of your team.
As a line manager, you should do everything within your power to foster an environment where people are inspired to give their best every day.
If your team feel trusted, respected and valued, they are much more likely to achieve great results.
Using the tips we have discussed above will keep your team engaged and happy, and you should see the benefits in no time.
