Managing a team is never an easy task, especially when you want to get the highest levels of productivity possible. All too easily people can “fall off the bandwagon” and their output can start to drop as a result.
Over time, these individuals can impact other team members, slowly leading to a loss of energy around your business eventually this may lead to a drop in overall productivity.
As a business owner or manager, it’s essential that you do what you can to help your team reach their full potential – both for their sakes and for the sake of your business success.
After all, motivated, inspired team members will produce far more measurable results for you than disgruntled, demotivated workers.
But what can be done to help keep your team motivated – or even to drive them on to achieve even more?
Give Them Genuine Thanks
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- Im: vk
Believe it or not, the simple act of praise can be a powerful force for helping to keep staff morale high. Of course, praise alone isn’t enough – this praise must be genuine. If your staff realize that you only tell them what they want to hear then your comments will soon start to fall on deaf ears.
However making a concerted effort to not only notice all the good things that you team do – but also to thank them for their achievements – can truly be a force for good.
Whether you sit your employee down in your office or speak to them in front of their peers, acknowledging the good they do is one of the single most effective strategies for keeping your team motivated.
Team Building Exercises
As they say: “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. If you work in a high stress environment, where your team is constantly under pressure, it’s important to provide opportunities to recover. Otherwise, pressure can build up and, sooner or later, may cause someone to lose their temper or quit unnecessarily.
Making time for paid downtime can therefore be a great way to reward key team members. Whether you take your team out for the day, arrange for a nice meal in a restaurant or pay for a motivational speaker to come into the office, there are a number of ways to demonstrate to your team how much you value them, and to enable them to recharge their batteries before the next battle.
Perks of the Job
In the past, many bosses saw only two options for rewarding their team: pay rises and promotions. And while these can work (for some people), the reality is that you can only increase someone’s salary so many times before it ceases to be financially viable. Praise, on the other hand, can be given freely, costs nothing and is often worth a lot more.
That’s not to say though that “perks of the job” should be ruled out completely. Besides the two options already mentioned there are actually plenty of other ideas you could try.
For example how about giving a high-performing team member an extra paid day off? Or how about letting them leave at lunchtime on a Friday? Sometimes something as simple as installing a foosball table or a fridge of cold drinks can also be enough to help your staff feel just that little bit more valued.
Encourage Two-Way Conversations
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- Im: HC
I hate to break it to you: You don’t know everything, and neither do I. That’s why seeking opinions and feedback from your team can be useful. It’s entirely possible that your team has a raft of great ideas that could help your business to perform even better, if only you’ll take the time to ask. Ideas that, if implemented, could help to grow your customer base and increase your profits.
But there’s more. When you welcome the opinions of your team and truly place value on what they say, your team starts to take ownership of situations. The realization that your opinions have value – and that they matter to your boss and the wider team – can be a very motivating force.
Conclusion
Whatever option you choose, the real take-home message here is to never get complacent when it comes to maintaining a high-performing team. Take the time (and spend a little money) to help you consistently reward and encourage your team. Doing so will make for a far more enjoyable working environment for your staff, as well as minimizing staff churn and helping to drive your business to ever higher results.
About the author
Paige is a UK-based author who works with Celebrity Speakers. She’s also a provider of motivational speakers for corporate events. Find out more at http://www.speakers.co.uk
