Set clear objectives
Make it clear to the team what needs to be achieved and by when. When the team understand their role and their importance in completing the task, they will be more focused on the job in hand. Regular meetings to discuss progress can be a good way to ensure that your team is able to focus on what needs to be achieved.
Give credit when credit is due
Praising your team when they have done a good job is very important, however you need to find the right balance. If everyone in a race receives a medal then where is the incentive to finish first? On the other hand, not giving any praise or rewards at all will result in a very demotivated team who do not see the benefit of striving to do their best. Peer-led rewarding is also important: if colleagues can recognise the positives in their peers’ performance it encourages them to reach the same standards themselves. Introducing an award for a team member who goes the extra mile which they vote for themselves will encourage them to look for and admire the positive attributes in others and reward exceptional performance.
Suggestion Box
Introduce a suggestions box where employees can provide suggestions on how the department could be run better, more efficiently or generate the business a cost saving. Where practical, try to implement the best suggestion and recognise the employee who made it.
Training Offer training to your team.
Whether it’s technical or more generic ‘team building’ skills, it shows the workforce that you are willing to invest in them. Preparing them for the next step on their career path will make your employees feel valued and recognised and shows you have faith in their abilities.
Additional Responsibilities
For those who want more of a challenge, this is a good way of keeping them motivated. If they are meeting their targets and express an interest in additional responsibility, allocating them extra work will be seen as a reward. This method of rewarding will cost you nothing and by delegating extra tasks could even lighten your own workload.
We hope you found our top five tips useful. Why not try out some, or all, of the above to motivate your team. Doing something differently could be the difference between innovation and stagnation.