As a leader, you’ll come to realize that you’ll have people that stay motivated on their own and others who need a bit of a nudge to stay motivated and keep their passion burning. And that’s okay. As a leader, it’s up to you to communicate with your team and find the things that motivate them.
When motivating your team, there are key things you can do as a leader to ensure your entire team is motivated, no matter their differences:
- Lead your team by example. If you’re asking your team to do something, especially if it’s challenging or new, there’s no better way to motivate them than to show them the way. Joining in with your team to get the work done shows them that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get them there, and you’re always willing to step in and help to accomplish a goal.
- Show your appreciation. It’s important to make your team feel appreciated, and you can do that by rewarding integrity and milestones. It doesn’t have to be money or something big – it can simply be a “thank you” with compliments on the great work they did while also meeting deadlines.
- Support new ideas to instill hope, not fear. As a leader, you likely have a lot of experience in your field. You know what works to get something done, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new ideas that could work just as well or maybe even better. Be willing to listen to your team, support their ideas, and help grow them into something bigger. Your team will feel needed and appreciated when they can bring their own ideas to the table and see them come to fruition.
- Create healthy competition. The keyword here is healthy. And friendly competition helps your team motivate each other to reach goals and improve.
- Communicate effectively. Set reasonable expectations that also challenge your team, and then follow it up with specific feedback to hold them accountable.