"They should motivate themselves — I've got too much to do!"
And suddenly, your best people give their notice and leave.
It's a FACT: Successful leaders figure out how to strategically motivate their team every day. The more they inject enthusiasm, energy, and excitement into a typical workday, the more loyal and engaged each associate will be.
Here are 5 simple actions to motivate more like a leader:
Start with your attitude.
SMILE! You are the beacon of motivation for your team — if you aren't presenting your best self every day, nothing else will motivate your team. Set the example — make sure you start every day on a positive note and carry it through all eight hours. Don't let momentary issues drag you down — present to your team that the right attitude can conquer all problems, "We'll figure it out.". Unfortunately, you can't fake it — they will see it a mile away — be sincere and honest.
Ensure a healthy working environment.
Protect your team from malicious 'external forces' — we all know them, the over-zealous, competitive peer or over-bearing boss that brings the whole department down with their fears or insinuations. Your job as their leader is to let them know NOT to listen to these characters and get them back on track. Everyone loves to pick on success (look at Tesla, Apple) — your job is to insulate your team from their drama and re-focus them on their goals.
Find the right fuel to energize each associate.
This is the big kahuna — most managers have a 'managing script' they use to keep their people in line. Great leaders figure out what specific actions and communication patterns to use with each direct report to elevate their mindset and take action daily. Find out each 'fuel' and make sure their tank is filled up daily. Don't be that manager who drains their team's gas tank with unreasonable requests or out-of-the-blue critiques on their progress. It does the exact opposite of what you want — an engaged team that willingly supports you.
Be unpredictable with your motivation.
Mix it up — don't do the same things each week to the same people — it gets obsolete quickly. Think of new ideas and strategies to motivate your team members. I had a great manager many years ago who was an incredible motivator — right out of the blue, he grabbed us in the early afternoon and said he had 3 tickets to the tennis open, would we like to go? We all hopped in his car and had a wonderful time. The more you mix it up with your team, the more motivated they will become.
Embrace those who thrive; eject the problem children.
Get rid of the gossip, the behind-the-scenes drama — some people will bring the energy of the group down with just one well-placed juicy tidbit, "I hear they're reorganizing". You need to stamp out that type of behavior where it starts by compartmentalizing and re-directing that person or figuring out how to separate them from your team. These people are insidious and will counteract anything you try to do with their constant criticism and negative sarcasm. Fix or eject them ASAP.
Action Step:
Come into the office (physical or virtual) tomorrow and show them your energized and positive attitude. Follow the steps over the next week and see what transpires — you might be surprised how quickly your team embraces it.
We can go so much deeper into Motivation — but we wanted to give you a few quick, actionable steps to take away and use this week.
This is part four of our 4-part series on Leadership.
We've just launched a new program: The Four Elements of Transformational Leadership where we engage managers on how to effectively communicate, motivate, educate, and delegate their teams.
It’s a series of customized timely workshops for your team to focus on growing their leadership skills over a series of months. Why months?
People learn by doing, not just attending a single 8-hour offsite — our program ensures that each candidate learns, understands, and takes action after each 60-90 minute live session.
In addition, we include one-on-one coaching sessions for each candidate to follow up on their progress, answer any questions they might have, and reinforce the right behaviors so they apply what they've learned in their day-to-day interactions.