Great Ways to Motivate Your Team
Being a facilitator - making it easier for your team members to do a better job - will make you a more competent team leader.
Instead of telling people what to do, the best leaders bring out the best in their team members. One way to do this successfully is to work on your coaching style. In the coaching role, you can make spontaneous suggestions and offer encouragement.
Following these tips should also help you improve your effectiveness as a team leader:
Provide specific feedback
Pinpointing behaviors, attitude, and/or skills that need improvement will help you coach a team member to perform at a higher level.
Devise a mission statement
Creating such a statement can help team members focus more clearly.
Be supportive
Providing emotional support and encouragement can help a leader improve the work of team members who aren't performing at their best. Just being helpful may be enough.
Be a role model
An effective leader spurs others to act appropriately by setting an example. For instance, cooperating with people from other organizational units will encourage team members to do the same.
Foster teamwork
Promote the attitude that working together effectively leads to success for everyone. Refer to those in the group as team members or teammates instead of subordinates or employees. Make frequent use of the words "we" and "us." For example: "We achieved the new sales goal."
Customer treatment
Most people treat customers with more respect and concern than they do fellow employees at or below their levels. Encouraging team members to treat each other as customers fosters cooperative behavior and politeness.
Bring members together
Schedule meals, occasional parties, and other get-togethers during regular office hours so you don't intrude on people's personal time.
Emphasize a winning team
Frequently remind team members that their work is important. Help them identify tasks they're particularly good at and promote them as key members of the group. Build the commitment and confidence of each team member.
In building team spirit, people must feel mutually accountable for each other. It helps to remind team members what they are doing right, not just what they are doing wrong.
Emphasize group recognition
Giving rewards for group accomplishments promotes team spirit by enabling team members to take pride in the entire team's contributions and progress. Think about creating a display wall for postings of group activities, certificates of accomplishment and upcoming events. Offering T-shirts, mugs or key rings with the team logo may help promote esprit de corps.
Spread the work around
Don't keep the best assignments for yourself. Doing this dampens team spirit and hampers performance. Look for opportunities that allow other team members to perform at a high level.
Welcome all input
Team spirit increases when all contribute. It deflates a team if only one or two participants are doing the work.