10 Ways To Motivate Your Team and Achieve Greater Success

Many managers and business owners struggle with finding ways to motivate their teams. They resort to the same old methods, such as offering bonuses, and while they can work, they’re only one part of the puzzle.
To get the most out of your team and achieve greater success, you must find ways to truly motivate them. From rewarding them with Employee Gifts to allowing autonomy, here are 10 ways to do just that:

1. Give them a sense of ownership.

Say you work in a restaurant. If you give the busboy a sense of ownership over his work area – such as by letting him choose whatever music to listen to while he works or giving him a set of keys so he can lock up at night – he’s more likely to take pride in his work and do a better job.
Why? Because he feels like he’s part of something larger and that his work is important. And when people feel like their work is important, they’re more likely to be motivated to do it well.

2. Encourage team bonding.

A highly competitive team where coworkers constantly try to one-up each other is not a productive or motivated team. In fact, this is one of the quickest ways to kill motivation.
Instead, try to encourage team bonding. Plan group outings or after-work drinks. Celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries together.
When team members are friends, they’re more likely to work together well and be motivated to help each other out when needed.

3. Get to know your team members as individuals.

Who feels motivated when their boss doesn’t even know their name? If you want to motivate your team, getting to know them as individuals is important.
Learn about their families, their hobbies, and what they like to do in their free time. This will make them feel appreciated and give you a better understanding of what makes them tick and how to motivate them best.
It’s all about treating them like human beings rather than just another cog in the machine.

4. Delegate based on strengths.

You wouldn’t put a square peg in a round hole, so why would you delegate tasks based on anything other than strengths? 
Think about it: if you delegate a task to someone who isn’t good at it, they will struggle with it and be less motivated to do it. They’ll feel like they’re not good enough and that their work is pointless.
On the other hand, if you delegate a task to someone based on their strengths, they’re more likely to excel at it and feel even more motivated to do it. So take the time to learn about your team member’s strengths and weaknesses and base your delegating decisions on that.

5. Set clear goals and expectations.

When you set a goal, it’s important to be clear about what that goal is. Vague goals such as “do your best” or “make me proud” don’t give team members much to work with and can lead to them feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
Instead, be specific about what you want them to do and what the end goal is. For example, “I want you to increase sales by 10% within the next quarter” is a clear and specific goal that your team can work towards.
And if you don’t meet that goal, don’t just give up – sit down with your team and figure out why. Maybe you need to change your methods, or maybe the goal was unrealistic.

6. Reward team members for their hard work.

Incentives are a great way to motivate team members to work hard and achieve goals. If you hit your sales targets, for example, you could offer a bonus or commission.
You could also offer non-monetary rewards, such as extra vacation days, flexible work hours, or small gifts that they can use, like a high-quality pen, a custom planner, or a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant.
The key is to ensure that the rewards are fair and that they’re given out in a way that doesn’t create jealousy or resentment within the team. In fact, it’s best to give everyone the same reward for hitting a goal so that no one feels left out or like they’re being treated unfairly.
Another thing is to follow through on your rewards – if you promise a bonus but never deliver, your team will quickly lose motivation.
Read More: 9 Unique Workplace Gifts That Will Boost Employee Morale 

7. Encourage and give credit for new ideas.

If you want to encourage your team to be creative and develop new ideas, you must give them the credit they deserve. When team members feel like their ideas are being heard, and they’re being given credit for them, they’re more likely to be motivated to keep coming up with new and innovative ways to improve the business.
Of course, you can’t just give credit to anyone – the idea needs to be a good one that will actually benefit the business. But if you find yourself regularly shooting down team members’ ideas without even considering them, you’ll quickly demotivate them and stifle their creativity.

8. Allow for autonomy.

Telling your team members what to do all the time will only make them feel like they’re not trusted to do their jobs and that their opinions don’t matter. This lack of trust will quickly lead to them feeling unmotivated and unengaged in their work.
Instead, allow for autonomy by allowing team members to make their own decisions. This doesn’t mean that you should just let them do whatever they want – you should still set clear goals and expectations. But within those parameters, allow them to figure out the best way to achieve those goals.
For example, if you have a team member who’s working on designing a new product, don’t micromanage every aspect of the design process. Instead, give them the overall goals and let them figure out the best way to achieve those goals.
This will save you time and allow your team member to feel like they’re an expert in their field and that their opinion actually matters. And that feeling of empowerment is essential for keeping team members motivated.

9. Offer regular feedback – both positive and constructive.

Giving feedback is important, but it’s not enough to just give it when there’s a problem to be addressed. You should

10. Encourage team members to take breaks.

One of the best ways to motivate your team is to encourage them to take breaks. Team members who are overworked, stressed out, and exhausted will not be motivated to do their best work. They’re more likely to make mistakes and have a negative attitude.
So, have your team members take regular breaks – even if it’s just for a few minutes every couple of hours. Encourage them to step away from their work, take a walk, get some fresh air, and relax. And if they need to take a mental health day or two, don’t hesitate to give them the time off.
It’s also important to encourage team members to use their vacation days. When team members are well-rested, they will return to work feeling refreshed and productive.

Conclusion

Motivating your team is essential for ensuring they’re productive and engaged in their work. But it’s not always easy to do.
By following the tips above, you can create a work environment conducive to motivation, and encourage your team to do their best work.