A motivated team is an inspired and productive team. However, not all managers know how to effectively motivate a team to do well. For some, motivation looks more like dictatorship, whilst others lock themselves away, in the hopes that a team left to their own devices will find their own solutions and motivation.

If you’re not correctly motivating your team, you’ll ultimately be leading them towards a downturn in both productivity and loyalty. So how can you effectively motivate your team? Here’s 3 simple ways you can ramp up team motivation.

If you want to motivate your team, share your vision

When you share your overall vision with your team, you’ll get everyone on board. Certain personalities are incredibly motivated by the sharing of a common goal. They want to to know why they’re doing a specific task and how it fits into the grand scheme of things, so they can see how they fit in. Others will empathise with your desire to reach a specific goal and are driven by the desire to help others, as it makes them feel good.

When you share your vision with your team, you inspire confidence and value in your team, as they can see how important they are in the process. They also have the chance to personally take accountability for their part, as well as feeling more able to approach and engage with you on matters pertaining to that vision.

Lead by example

Your team are influenced by your behaviour. It’s not about making perfect mini-replicas of yourself, it’s about using your behaviour to influence others to respond in a way that helps you and your business. It’s about behaving in a way that inspires and motivates them.

If you want people to be positive and productive, you need to give them clear instructions on what you need from them. This includes your ability to communicate well enough to share the bigger picture, as well as the impact of how not completing specific tasks will impact on this. Your actions need to match your words too – so if you need your team to be proactive, accountable and honest with you, you need to not only be the same in return – you also need to be approachable and open to suggestions when they do come to you.

Take time to know & interact with each team member

If you want to motivate your team to do their best, you need to know the members in your team. This isn’t about becoming best friends with them, but it’s about knowing what motivates them and why they’re doing what they do. Set aside time to regularly check in with them, so you can better understand their struggles and successes, whilst also giving them feedback to help keep them on track.

By taking the time to know and interact with your team, you’re showing that you care about them and see them as more than just another employee. They’ll feel valuable and appreciated, and more likely to step up when needed, as a result. When they see that you’re not just invested in the company, but also in bringing out the best in each of your team members, your team will be more loyal to their role, you as a manager and the business as a whole – and motivated enough to want all three to succeed.

Image courtesy of depositedhar/DepositPhotos.com