Nearly all of our life’s actions are motivated. Consider this: What prompted you to enter the kitchen and prepare a sandwich? Hunger. What spurred you on this morning to get out of bed and get to work? It was undoubtedly the urge to keep a roof over your head and food on the table at the most fundamental level.
Our human nature and the extremely potent influence of motivation in our lives. We all need a motivational “why” to work for. Every successful and unsuccessful company plan that has ever been implemented stems from this “why.” Even if you as the manager have endless reserves of self-motivation, reaching the group’s objectives will be challenging, if not impossible, if that desire cannot be shared by others around you. Project completion dates, long-term development, and even daily goals depend on strong leadership that encourages motivation.
A leader’s toolset must include knowledge on how to motivate team members and how important this is to understand. There isn’t a set way to motivate people; after all, people are unpredictable. Although though motivation in leadership can be quite difficult at times, its advantages can make the difference between a successful team and one that is struggling. Let’s examine the connection between motivation and leadership and discuss how to encourage it in your team members.
1. Motivated Members Make for a Stronger Team
Strong leadership motivation enables a team or business to achieve its objectives at the most fundamental level. Nothing will get done if no one is motivated to work on it. It doesn’t get any more straightforward than that. Team members who are not engaged might put a business in a very dangerous situation. On the other hand, a business with motivated personnel who are actively involved in the task their company is performing would produce more effectively.
Consider a team of seven workers who are all driven to achieve the same objective. Now picture the same team with only two motivated workers and five who would rather waste the day at work browsing the internet. It will take a lot more time and effort to do that one task.
2. Better Communication Equates to More Success
Without a question, one of the essential components of effective leadership that encourages motivation is effective communication. Individuals naturally like to be acknowledged, therefore developing excellent one-on-one and group communication skills with your team members will be crucial. 46 percent of employees surveyed by Gallup in 2014 (1,015 total) indicated they rarely or never leave a meeting knowing what they are expected to do. Every leader should take note of this figure as a reminder that they need to improve their employee communications.
If someone on your team doesn’t understand what the task includes, why they’re doing it, or how to approach it effectively, how can they possibly do the assignment successfully? Motivation is a byproduct of strong communication, which is a trait of all effective leaders.
3. Projecting a Positive Attitude Is Paramount
The most effective weapon a leader has against employee pessimism, which can kill drive and sabotage goals, is optimism. It will be challenging to inspire others to want to follow you if you aren’t inspired to be a great leader.
You are shaping people’s views about the work they do as a leader, not merely deciding who does what tasks. A good attitude conveys that you have faith in your staff in all of your communications with them, from the emails you send to them to how you act in the break room. That is a very effective instrument for developing motivation.
4. Focus on Intrinsic Over Extrinsic Motivation
Leaders may find it simple to concentrate on extrinsic motivation, which refers to people being motivated by the possibility of reward or the fear of punishment. Setting a goal to reach a certain sales quota in order to receive a bonus or risk losing your job might be a strong motivator, but it only draws on one kind of drive. When people are inspired to engage in a behavior or activity because it makes them feel good within, this is known as intrinsic motivation.
A 2013 study that looked at nurses who were putting together surgical equipment is the ideal illustration of this. Compared to nurses who had never met the users of their kits, those who had interacted with them worked harder and made fewer mistakes.
5. Make Individual Connections That Communicate the “Why”
The nurses’ connection to the “why” behind their duty of assembling the surgical kits was stronger, as was seen in the case above. This “why” can be communicated to the team via text, but it might not always be the best strategy for boosting motivation.
As a leader forges close relationships with others on their team by getting to know them, they grow and prosper. Real motivation comes from relationships, and you have a better opportunity of explaining the “why” behind the goal to your team members when you know them better than just by name. Your staff will consequently be more invested in their work.
6. Praise Team Members and Build Motivation
When you completed your assignment and correctly answered every question, your teacher gave you a gold star for a reason. People like to be recognized for a job well done because positive reinforcement feels good.
A Harvard Business School study found that employees who receive praise from a manager are more motivated and hence more productive than those who do not. What a shock—people who hear “job well done” feel more inspired to carry on with their good work. Team members will be more inspired to take on the next task at hand if a leader makes it clear to people around them that their effort is recognized and appreciated.
7. Hold People Accountable and Provide Feedback
The capacity to rectify errors or incorrect behaviors is just as crucial as the capacity to offer praise. Neglecting bad performance by a leader can create a harmful precedent and demotivate previously motivated workers. When team members don’t provide their fair share and a leader doesn’t step in to make it right, people aren’t as driven to produce good job.
While publicly complimenting a team member can be a great team motivator, privately correcting an employee can help keep employees’ egos intact. You’ll be in a better position to inspire by giving a team member feedback in private as there won’t be any outside interruptions.
8. Ask Questions Often and Work Towards Solutions
A motivated leader communicates with others around them frequently to learn how they are doing with the work. Employees need to feel that their leaders genuinely care about how they contribute to the team and provide them a chance to voice any issues or suggestions.
Do the members of your team have access to all they require?
Are they being pushed or propelled to learn new abilities?
Do they observe an issue that is not being resolved?
Never undervalue the impact motivational factors like real enthusiasm in an employee’s role can have. They’ll feel better prepared to take on new duties and have more respect for leadership if you listen to them and ask them questions frequently.
9. Promote a Healthy Working Lifestyle
Employees that are in good health and are content with their lives will work harder and feel more motivated to come to work every day. Employee burnout is a genuine issue, and if workers are consistently required to put in longer hours and take on more responsibility, their motivation may decrease and they may develop animosity for the leadership.
Of course, there are situations when working late is necessary for the job. But, taking the correct actions can stop worn-out workers from waving their arms and leaving. A team can be kept engaged by healthy measures like offering nutritious snacks or including an activity to relieve some stress.
