7 Ways to Keep Your Team Motivated
By Kelley
Robertson
Monday, January 19, 2003; 10:15am EST
Many managers mistakenly think that money is the prime motivator for
their employees. However, according to surveys by several different
companies, money is consistently ranked five or lower by most
employees. So if money is not the best way to motivate your team, what
is?
The three most important issues according to employees are; respect, a
sense of accomplishment, and recognition. Yes, money is important but
it is not as critical as these other components. Taking these into
consideration, let�s explore seven ways to keep your team motivated:
1. Involve them. Many employees want to be involved in the ongoing
development and progress of their company. Plus, they often have
insightful ideas that can make a significant difference in the
company. And when they are involved, they buy-in faster and resist
less. This means you can implement the change(s) more quickly and
easily.
2. Communicate. Very few businesses can be accused of
over-communicating. A frequent axiom in business is, �No news is good
news.� However, employees want regular updates on the progress of the
business and their personal performance. Use memos, email, telephone,
and one-on-one and group meetings to keep your team apprised. Talk to
your team members regularly, have lunch or coffee with them, Let them
know if the business is on track. Tell them what challenges are
currently being faced (they may have suggestions). It is also
important that you give them feedback on their performance. If you
have a concern with a specific component, tell them and give them the
opportunity to correct their behavior. When I worked in the corporate
world I was always surprised how many employees did not receive
feedback of any kind pertaining to their performance.
3. Celebrate individual and team performance. Catch people doing
something right and focus on recognizing excellent performance. On an
individual basis you can provide positive reinforcement, issue awards,
use a corporate newsletter to highlight specific achievements. Send
thank-you, birthday, and anniversary cards as well as congratulatory
notes. Make personal phone calls, and send emails. Better yet, if you
work in a large organization, have a senior executive send the email
or make the call.
To recognize team efforts, post performance charts on the wall or
throw an impromptu get-together., Treat them to lunch or a pizza
party, post team pictures on your Intranet and in their work
environment or give them plaques, certificates, coffee mugs, etc.
Ultimately, the more of these approaches you incorporate into your
motivation strategy, the more energized your team will become. Make it
a point to recognize someone everyday.
4. Set challenging goals. My experience has taught me that people
strive to achieve what is expected of them. If you set challenging
goals your team will work hard to accomplish them, providing of
course, they are realistically attainable. It is amazing what people
can accomplish when they are given the opportunity to perform.
Communicate these goals and keep your team informed on the company�s
progress.
5. Give them the tools to succeed. No team will stay motivated if they
do not have the necessary tools required to do their job. This
includes; equipment, internal support, inventory, marketing materials,
training, etc. Simple things annoy people. Many years ago I worked in
a restaurant where the owner refused to give the servers trays to
carry drinks because he thought it was an unnecessary expense.
Frustration ran high when servers had to make more trips to and from
the bar.
6. Manage poor performance. Your team expects you to manage
individuals who do not perform to standard or contribute fully to the
efforts of the team. However, many managers ignore poor performance
because they are afraid of the potential conflict. Instead, they hope
that the situation will resolve itself. It never does and this �blind�
approach affects profitability, causes higher turnover, and
contributes to low morale in the workplace. While poor performance and
conflict are seldom enjoyable to deal with, you have a responsibility
to your team and the company to manage it. Here is the B.E.S.T. method
of dealing with these situations:
Begin with the situation. �Pat, when we receive a shipment and you
expect the others to put it away��
Express the result. ��it causes friction because everyone is expected
to pitch in.�
State the desired change. �In the future I expect you to cooperate
with the rest of the group to ensure that the shipment is stored
quickly. This means I want you to stop whatever you are working on and
help put away the stock.�
Tell them the consequence. �If you don�t contribute to this task I may
be forced to take additional action.�
7. Lead by example. If you want your team to treat each other with and
dignity, you need to set the tone. If you expect them to be motivated
and enthusiastic it is critical that you behave in this manner. As an
owner, manager or business leader, your team looks to you for
direction and guidance.
Source of Article
Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales,
sales management, negotiating, and employee motivation. For
information on his programs, visit his website at
http://www.kelleyrobertson.com/. He is also the author of �Stop, Ask & Listen
� Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers.� Receive a
FREE copy of �100 Ways to Increase Your Sales� by subscribing to his
59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine at his website. You can also
contact Kelley at 905-633-7750.
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