Motivating your team can be one of the more challenging aspects of your job, but it is also one of the most important. Having a team who is motivated and cares about their work can lead to increased productivity and a better outcome on projects. Knowing when your team needs motivating and how to get them motivated can be tricky. Here are some great tips on how to get your team motivated.
Start simple
Motivating your employees doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg. Start simple with a 5-10 min scheduled meeting to say hi and thank your employee for all their hard work. Recognize their accomplishments and explain to them how their work is making a difference. Recognizing an employee's accomplishments can also help to reduce turnover. For more on retaining employees and reducing turnover, read our most recent blog post here.
Set the pace
As a leader it is your responsibility to set an example for your employees. If they see you slack off, they will slack off. Setting the pace for a hard work ethic will motivate your employees to work just as hard. If they see you excited about a project, they will get excited.
Empowerment speaks
Empowering your employees with more say and responsibilities can motivate them to work harder. Letting them be a decision maker in how their position works or in major projects is a big motivator for employees. The more they feel included the harder they will work since it will be something of importance to them.
Have fun
It is important to remember to have a little fun at work. This can be anything from afternoon snacks to crazy dress up days to cocktail hour after work. Being able to have fun for a bit can help to let go of some of that workday stress, plus it gives them something to look forward to which can motivate your employees to work harder during the day.
Having employees who are motivated can be a great benefit to your company so take the extra time to make sure you are doing everything possible to have motivated employees. What are some ways you have motivated your employees?