Motivation can be broken down into three components that when combined, help us achieve our goals:
Do you, like many organisation or team leaders, reach for seemingly quick and easy motivational incentives? Extrinsic rewards like team experiences, trips, bonuses or fun treats are a brilliant and vital part of the company’s positive work culture, but do they address these three key components and do they actually make a team more motivated? Are you overlooking intrinsic motivators, perhaps because you feel like you don’t know where to start, you don’t see how they can be sustained or perhaps you simply believe they’re not all that important?
Here are four tips for truly and sustainably motivated teams:
1. Recognition
Everyone wants and needs recognition for their hard work, not just so they maintain current standards but for positive self-esteem, a sense of belonging in a team and ultimately so they feel encouraged to strive to do even better! Try to remove or decrease unhelpful hierarchal and bureaucratic systems, instead encourage a culture of openness, ideas sharing and stronger employee investment, by recognising the vital contribution everyone in the team makes. Not only will you have a more dedicated staff base, but you will also gain more honest insight into the success of the organisation.
How to implement: One-to-one sessions with individual team members is probably the most obvious answer but you can also express recognition regularly in your emails, in team meetings (encouraging them to praise and recognise each other’s hard work too) award ceremonies, or you can show your appreciation by investing in individuals and teams through opportunities to improve themselves and their skills by going on accredited training courses and workshops.
2. What are the organisation’s (and team members) core values, vision and objectives?
Your organisation and everyone in it should be clear on what the core values are, how they serve the organisation, what problems they help to solve and most importantly, what vision for the future they envisage and support. Without an inspiring vision for everyone to get behind, team and organisation objectives will never be realised or realistically achieved. It’s also a good idea to spend some time learning what drives an individual’s values and goals. Are they motivated by their own continuous learning? promotion? or are they just in it for the money? Do they align with the organisation’s vision? Taking the time to find out can prove invaluable.
How to implement: Try making a visual reminder of the organisation’s core values and vision. At Empower- Be The Change we dedicate time during team meetings to Orbit planning. Encourage your team to take some ownership of the plan and feel free to discuss ideas and add to it to help keep the big values and visions in mind.
3. Time management
Values and vision are all well and good, but putting them into practice can be daunting. Never underestimate the power of time management; taking time to plan and set short and medium-term S.M.A.R.T goals and big long terms goals both for the organisation and team members. This is such an overlooked but vital aspect of success. Reward the achievement of these goals both intrinsically and extrinsically, give recognition where it’s due, keep the long-term vision clearly in sight and you’ve got a seriously motivated workforce!
How to implement: Try the S.M.A.R.T goals way:
Specific: Clear and well-defined goal
Measurable: Measure your progress towards accomplishing the goal
Achievable: Make sure it’s attainable
Realistic: Realistically attainable and relevant to you as an individual
Timeline: A clear and specific timeline with a beginning and end.
4. Create leaders and lead well
Individuals who feel they have a valued voice in the organisation and know that they make a meaningful difference are more likely to implement their words and ideas into actions. Individuals who are invested in, given opportunities to gain qualifications and relevant experience are much more likely to secure team leadership roles and progress in their career. Resilient, self-aware individuals have much greater choice, opportunities and control in the decisions they make meaning they make better, clearer choices. Individuals with coaching, leadership and mentoring skills are able to bring out the best in themselves and others leading to a sustainably productive and motivated workforce. At Empower- Be The Change we’ve invested £4000 in training this year, not including all of the free training opportunities we’ve taken advantage of!
How to implement: The quickest and most effective way to develop leaders is to invest in their continuous learning.
At Empower- Be The Change we do some of the work for you! All course participants complete a ILM accredited measure at the beginning and end of all our programmes, generating their own personal development report. By completing an ILM accredited qualification with Empower- Be The Change participants have the opportunity to learn vital team member, coaching, mentoring and leadership skills that are relevant in all employment settings as well as community, education.
Our courses are proven to make a real and measurable difference.
For more information on how we can empower your organisation get in touch here: https://empower-bethechange.org/contact-us