How to Motivate Others

One of the daily challenges of being a team leader is to keep employees motivated and focused on being productive and working efficiently. Understanding your team members and what motivates them will lead to inspired work and help avoid carelessness and fatigue. According to the American Chemical Society, research suggests that humans are motivated by autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Here are some tips on how to keep your employees motivated:

1) Reward and Recognition

Whether it’s a financial reward or an award of recognition, employees will feel valued and proud for their exemplary work. These acts will encourage the employee to continue working to achieve future awards based off the satisfaction received previously. Leaders can implement a monthly or quarterly award and present it at team meetings to help promote employee recognition. Leaders should find the appropriate approval authority for a financial award and discuss an appropriate amount.

2) Install Purpose through Transparency

Employees want to feel that their work is purposeful and has meaning. The leader can help communicate purpose to the employee by regularly discussing the company’s strategic direction. The leader can be creative and forward-thinking in how the employee’s work is directly impacting the company’s mission and driving progress for the future. The team leader should also be proactive in understanding senior management’s strategic initiatives by actively listening to quarterly meetings. The leader must then timely relay that information to the staff to keep them informed and engaged.

3) Regularly Seek Employee Input

Employees are one of the best resources for seeking process improvement. The team members that are performing the task everyday are most capable of increasing efficiency and removing bottlenecks. By seeking out employee feedback, the team members will feel they have a vested interest and that their opinion matters in the organization. Employees will feel ownership over their job responsibility and be more likely to introduce cost-savings ideas.

4) Empower

Delegating is a key responsibility for a team leader. The positive impact of delegation can motivate employees to realize their full potential. Leaders can take the time to empower their employees which will provide autonomy and a desire to create the best possible product.

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