Motivate Your Team – 6 Tips

Motivate Your Team Team work means less of “me” and more of “we.” Every great success story is a story of a great team working in unison towards the ultimate goal. Motivate yourself to motivate your team. One of the characteristics of a good manager is to motivate a team to work to achieve the team’s goal.

1. Establish a purpose for the team

A team must have a clear sense of purpose and focus. The achievement of these team goals must be aligned with each team-member’s personal goals. It is for the team leader to know to interact with team members, find their individual motivations and link them to achievement of team goals. Motivate your team by promoting their accomplishments and taking the heat for their failures.

Using ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ can instill a sense of belonging and team spirit in the members.

2. Challenge individual and team capabilities

The challenge that a task presents is a “motivator” for each individual. When a team of disparate talents is presented with a task which possesses a challenge, one which stimulates them both at individual and team levels, they are likely to think “out of the box” and present creative solutions.

The challenge however must not be perceived as being insurmountable. It should be perceived as being difficult but achievable. It is again a task for the team leader to periodically set challenges for the team.

3. Establish camaraderie and motivate your team

A group of people, however disparate they may be, are likely to work together if they share good interpersonal vibes. A team sharing a good camaraderie will have open lines of communication, more informal than formal, mutual support and a willingness to accept various points of view.

Building a sense of camaraderie is the toughest challenge for a leader and it is here that a leader’s personal qualities—his charisma, leadership qualities and ability to recognize each team member’s strengths—plays a decisive role.

Frequent informal meetings outside the work setting, team-building activities like “off sites” and team outings have been successful ways to build this camaraderie.

4. Establishing responsibility

While each team member should be allocated clear individual responsibilities, they should be able to identify with the team responsibility. The line of demarcation between moral and official responsibility is usually very clear in practice, with the onus for a task’s success or otherwise resting with the leader.

Fear should never be the key driver in team work. In practice, a team which owns a task to the extent of taking moral responsibility for its success can be said to be a truly motivated team.

Motivation is intrinsic, what motivates one person would not move another so combine good motivational practices with meaningful work.

5. Appreciate your team members and expand team capabilities

A word of appreciation for team members will make them fired up to do more for getting appreciated and recognized. With proper goal setting and an effective reward system you can motivate your team better.

When a team member is appreciated, he/she feels a sense of pride in each task he/she completes and never feels bored and goes through the process as a chore. Any task which enables an individual to expand their skill base and stretch his capabilities will hold his or her attention.

The same theory applies to a team as well. A task which tests the team capabilities and utilizes team synergies is likely to also hold the team together.

The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side. ~ Margaret Carty (Tweet this)

Connect and spend time with key decision makers and strategists within your organization. Ask questions about their plans, needs and aspirations. Listen, and learn to motivate your team.

6. Leadership

A team is only as good as its leader; a leader who rises above the ordinary. A leader who inspires the best in his team is one who recognizes his team-members’ strengths and motivates them to achieve more.

An effective leader is one who has the knowledge and ability to do the job, to weave a team out of disparate individuals and add value to individual and team capabilities. Sharing information with team is vital to get their cooperation as they feel a sense of ownership towards the project.

It is therefore important to share information (such as the circumstances and limitations relating to the project you are working on). As a leader you should make it a team accomplishment (or the team’s failure, but make it devoid of the blame game).

Conclusion: Motivate Your Team

Motivating your team is all about being a role model and being the energetic and enthusiastic leader who is always approachable and is there for his team to share their concerns and opinions.

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About the Author

Vasantha Chary is an avid reader and a passionate writer. She believes in reaching out to people across the world through her well researched articles. She has been writing for the internet for over 4 years on a variety of topics of general interest.

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