Blog: Best 9 tips on how to keep your team motivated
No two people function in the same manner in a team. There could be similarities; but no one is identical to another. One might prefer to hustle continuously, push results and be on top of their A game always. Another one could be the proverbial tortoise who believes in slow, steady and consistent progress. Family backgrounds, culture, attitude to work, discipline, patience and work ethic could all be widely varied among members of the same team reporting to the same boss.`
This gives rise to the biggest challenge of how a leader can handle them and hold them all together as a single unit working towards the same goals. The leader has the unenviable task of keeping them satisfied most of the time and motivated enough to be productive and driven. This requires a lot of caution, planning and learning on the part of the leader. Let us look at some non-negotiables to keep the team accelerated and functioning at their optimal best:
1. Taking time to understand the employee – New members join the team and teams grow. It is important to take time to get to know each of them and speak to them and find occasions to understand their take on crucial factors affecting their functioning in your team. It would also help to keep written data of your initial observations about the person and regularly keep updating it as well. Understanding an employee would lead to a smooth professional relationship and in crucial times this would help in delivering the feedback in the way in which it would be received well. Spending time to get to know the pulse of your team is an investment that gives returns in the present and the future.
2. Being unbiased – Bias can cause immense amounts of discomfort, stress and indignation in the team and the victims of bias rarely know how to stand up to it or react to it. This could lead to simmering stress in the leader and employee relationship. The leader should never be biased nor give the impression of being biased. They should be impartial in giving all team members equal opportunity to be heard and appraised on. The first step for the boss is to accept and acknowledge that as humans we have inherent biases and consciously work towards controlling the urge and focus on being rational and fair minded. Not letting personal prejudices froth up but staying impartial is a great asset for a leader managing a diverse team.
3. Strong, consistent and impartial rewarding system – Rewards are the most tangible way of expressing appreciation. In the form of verbal or written recognition, hikes in salaries, promotions or recommendations, rewards form the bedrock of employee satisfaction. A lot of attention of employees goes into observing and analyzing the nature of their rewarding system. A customized rewarding system where thought goes into what appeals to the team, transparency, consistent improvisations and involvement of the team themselves develops a spirit of unity and camaraderie in the team.
4. Listening to them and their needs – Listening is an important skill for a leader to have. It is even more important in a diverse team that leaders listen. Creating platforms for them to speak and rephrasing your understanding to be sure you understand them right and giving opportunities to clarify their opinions are vital parts of active listening. It is equally important that you act on what you listened on and follow up on it as well to add credibility to your intentions. Listening would also involve readiness to hear some not so good things which might warrant course correction even on your side. A willingness to be open to change is a precondition to developing good listening skills.
5. Keeping them focused on the company’s vision rather than personal agendas- Very often the teams become fragmented because people focus on personal achievements and growth rather than working for the collective good and vision of the organization. So, period reorientations are important to make the team members understand that they can continue being a diverse group but their contribution should resonate with the goals and big picture which are part of the company’s vision.
6. Having a flexible attitude of care and consideration – Diversity itself means difference. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to team members. One might prefer feedback given right away and receive a written message well. Another would prefer that it is spoken to him and done so privately. One might prefer to have the flexibility of working from home as the biggest consideration and for some leaving work an hour or so early might be the most appreciated reward. As long as the expectations with regard to responsibilities at work are not compromised, a flexible and sensitive attitude towards employees would go a long way into improving their satisfaction and productivity.
7. Applying Consistent rules and regulations – A chaotic and disorganized workplace with ever changing and unmonitored rules and regulations can be stressful and disenchanting for employees. Routine and discipline become very difficult to maintain in the absence of consistency in rules at work and subsequently affect productivity. In case of effecting changes in workplace rules, relaying it with a timely and well-worded communication, taking into consideration feedback from the team is important.
8. Knowing that satisfaction is key and not delight – It is next to impossible to keep everyone happy always. A decision favoring one- even if it’s a fair one- could be irksome for someone else. You would get another opportunity to make good the disappointment some other time. But, an attempt to keep the team charged and delighted always is a futile effort and impractical as well. The efforts would be very stressful on you as well. Instead focusing on keeping them within the boundaries of satisfaction 80% of the time would be a reasonable target for any leader.
9. Making workplace ‘fun’ to be in to ensure better bonding – Your team spends on an average 30 to 40 percent of their time at work and it is crucial that they enjoy it and feel motivated to come back to work every single day. When they have fun at work and have interesting team building activities and challenges it is more likely to create engagement and motivation. This has a direct impact on their productivity as well. A soccer match after work hours or a burrito making challenge can create immense bonding. Fun matters at work as much as in life. All work and no play indeed makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl!
If you are looking for help in the management of a diverse team or at improving your leadership skills and feedback mechanisms at work, do write to us at harish@harishrao.world to know how we can help you with it. We would love to work with you on this or any other business coaching needs you may have!