6 ways to keep yourself and your employees motivated

I’ve covered a few of the smart ways that you can capture your team’s attention and motivate its members to work alongside you in a previous blog post, but that got me thinking. It’s all very well leading a team and encouraging them to sell your vision, but how do you keep yourself motivated too? After all, a team is only as good as its players – and that means you too.

6 Ways To Keep Yourself and Your Employees Motivated

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1. Inspiration is the key

It’s not going to be enough to tell your employees what to do, or to give them a rough idea of why. Now is the time to inspire them; allow them to share your passion, experience your vision, and reap your rewards. You, and your entire team will find it so much easier to stay motivated when you’re working towards the same outcome, and can feel the group’s energy as it manifests. As a manager, you’ll also take huge pleasure in the fact that your team is working for, and with, you, and not just because they’ve been told to. Nothing creates motivation like inspiration – and a shared one, at that.

2. Don’t berate, celebrate

Tempting as it is, berating your team for its poor performance is counter productive. Nobody wants to be told that they’ve done badly but, at the same time, a lack of recognition for a job well done is equally discouraging. If you want to motivate your employees be sure to recognise their achievements, celebrate each win, and thank them for a good day’s work. Not only will this motivate your team, but it will also encourage you to look for the positives in each day. What a fantastic way to work.

3. Clear, concise communication

This tip needs little explanation, really. Clear, concise communication is one of the best ways to motivate your employees, and to get your point across. Ensuring you communicate in such a manner will also prevent frustration on both sides, allow your team to feel they can approach you for advice, and will motivate you to get the best you can out of each and every staff member.

4. Rewards aplenty

It can be very difficult to get, and stay, motivated if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Say, why exactly are we working this weekend again? In much the same way as you should be learning to appreciate the little things, make sure that your employees have a clear incentive. Perhaps you’ll plan to take them for dinner once an important project is complete, reward them with a bottle of wine after a taxing week, or book a company retreat. No matter what it is, be sure to make work fun every now and again, and remind yourself why you fell in love with your industry.

5. Get creative

Nothing motivates employees like a little creativity, and it’s essential to get those juices flowing every now and again. Spreadsheets, presentations, meetings, and graphs can be difficult to get excited about, so imagine an improv session, an opportunity to work with new graphic design software, or encouraging ideas from the other side of the table. You’ll be surprised how receptive your employees will be, and that influx of bold, fresh ideas will motivate you too.

6. Set clear, attainable goals

Motivation is hard to come by when you’re not really sure why you’re staying late, or answering a tenth email on the same topic. It can be the same for your employees; if they’re doing a job just because they’ve been told to they’re unlikely to embrace it as you’d hope. Sit down with your team at the beginning of every project and outline its goals, your expectations, and the projected outcome. Make sure goals are set periodically, and that they’re attainable – even if this means breaking a project into more sections than you normally would. The feeling of reaching those goals will be hard to beat.

Yes, there are times when the job really needs to get done. You’ll soon find that there’s a time and place for fun, and moments when only hard work will do. Still, there is a light at the end of that tunnel, and it’s waiting for you and your employees.

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