Motivating your team to do the best work possible is one of the top ways you can help your company or organization succeed. When individuals are inspired at work, they look forward to going to their jobs each day, work much more efficiently and are more productive. What’s more, they feel better about themselves, their workmates and the company. Here are several ways office managers and team leaders can light a fire under their teams and create workplace motivation.
Stay Positive
As an office manager or team leader, make it a habit to bring energy and enthusiasm to your job on a daily basis. An optimistic demeanor is infectious—if you stay positive and adopt an upbeat perspective, your team will feed off of that energy and follow suit. Just as a gloomy coworker can bring your mood down, a positive spin can bring the whole team up a notch. If you have a can-do attitude, your team will naturally do their best to follow your lead.
Make the Work Meaningful
Studies show that people are better employees when they feel their work has meaning. To help your team members feel that their projects and jobs matter, work with them to establish clear and specific goals for themselves, the team, and for your company as a whole. Doing so will inspire them to accomplish those objectives and will help reinforce the idea that their job is meaningful.
Communication Counts
Communicating with your team is key to keeping them motivated. To maintain a steady stream of communication, let your team know that you are interested in hearing what they have to say. For example, take the time to ask questions, listen closely to their answers and offer useful feedback. Allow team members to freely express their own ideas, opinions and views. Remember to keep your work environment positive so that team members can comfortably communicate with you and other team members.
Offer Incentives
Incentives are a good way to inspire your team to meet defined performance goals during specific periods of time. Rewards can be money or even promotion based, and they can also be driven by other perks, such as extra time off. Or you can reward your team with a special title, such as “team of the month.” To ensure your incentive program is a success, clearly state your goals, rewards, and time frame so everyone understands the stakes and targets.
Team Activities and Adventures
Providing employees with team outings, seminars, team-building events, classes and other learning activities, can motivate staff to perform better by both educating them and helping them find new ways to collaborate with each other. And outside activities can be used to create new friendships, build stronger work relationships, and develop a sense of camaraderie—all of which can help your employees achieve their common goals. Offering teambuilding and outdoor adventures are also great ways to let everybody know that you appreciate their hard work and are worth the investment.