So, you have a great business and are passionate about what you do, but how do you get your new team members to really jump on board and share your enthusiasm? We look at some tried-and-tested ways to truly motivate your team and create an excellent, close-knit, engaged team culture, where you’re all pulling together for success.
1. Be positively passionate
When you first started your business, you may not have thought as far ahead as how you would motivate your team. Your own passion for what you do was probably what motivated you, and that was all that mattered. Well, the importance of having passion for your business should never be underestimated, as this will not only carry you through the tough times, but also fire up your team to succeed.
Enthusiasm is infectious, so lead by example and always let your passion shine through!
Of course, it’s also wise to choose new team members who exude enthusiasm for your business, as this is a strong building block for success. Then, always nurture the fresh enthusiasm of new starters, especially during their first 90 days, as this is thought to be the best time to set them on the winning track. Similarly, always promote positivity in your team, as this too is catching and is an essential ingredient to maintain motivation.
Be sure to steer your team clear of negativity, as this is the enemy of motivation. So, when a team member makes a mistake, and let’s face it, we all do, don’t give them a hard time, just encourage them to try again and learn from their error.
2. Train to retain
However, motivating your team is not just about inspiring them to achieve great things, but also about ensuring they want to stay with you. If they feel directionless and without support, they will not stick around long.
If you want to retain them, you need to provide good training and support. This can be delivered online, for example via eLearning courses, virtual meetings, social media or email, by word-of-mouth, in a phone call, or in-person via scheduled training sessions. However, it is important that team members feel supported and guided from the get-go and are not left alone to become disillusioned.
Try connecting new-starters with a more experienced team member to mentor them and get them up to speed, or train them yourself, and see their motivation soar. In this, a lot can be learned from the direct selling industry, which follows a system called ‘duplication’, whereby each newbie is taught a tried-and-tested system of working, which ensures they excel, provided they follow it carefully and don’t go ‘off piste’. For example, the #LEOSYSTEM, employed by the highly successful, global entrepreneurship training organisation, and direct selling company, LEO, has helped its 375,000 members in 193 countries get their businesses off to a great start.
3. Communicate to motivate
In order to maintain the momentum of motivation in your team, it is vital to make sure that there is good, frequent communication between you and your team members. This can take the shape of regular meetings, which can be either face-to-face or by virtual means, such as Skype, Facebook Live or webinar. These can be used to keep all team members engaged and help them to bond with each other, as creating a culture of collaboration and team spirit is vital for morale.
Another good way, in this modern, multimedia world, to keep up great team communication is to create a Facebook Group specifically for your team, especially if individual members are not all based in one location. You can use this to post motivational comments, congratulate individuals on achievements and generally create a close-knit, team culture. In fact, the more fun you can make this, the more engaging and good for motivation it will be.
4. Set goals for success
However, never assume that what motivates one will motivate all. In today’s multigenerational workforce, what motivates Millennials, may not inspire other age groups. Likewise, if your team is global, motivating a multicultural workforce can be challenging, but is not impossible. Although individuals from different cultures may have varying perspectives, spending some time with them will soon reveal what motivates them.
So, if possible, get to know your team members individually and find out what truly lights their fire! In fact, to really motivate them to excel and encourage their enthusiasm, help them to visualise and set their own personal goals – the ‘WHY’ that gets them out of bed in the morning and drives them on. If they have clear goals to aim for, which are meaningful to them, then this will lift their motivation to achieve no end.
When you really connect with team members as individuals, and genuinely care about their success, something great happens – when they see this, chances are, they will want to help you succeed too. Of course, it can also help to create group goals and targets for the team to strive for, which will help everyone bond together.
Be sure to make these achievable, remembering to tailor such targets to individual team members, taking into account factors such as age and culture – after all, stretch your team too far and you will only demotivate one and all.
5. Be chief cheerleader
Finally, to really fire up your team’s enthusiasm, it is important to always recognise their achievements and be chief cheerleader for their successes. Never let an opportunity go by to sing their praises when objectives are achieved. These can be anything from small wins to major milestones but marking these will work wonders for individual and group motivation.
Celebrating successes is a great way to bring everyone together and also make team members feel appreciated. Recognising the achievements of team members publicly, can also motivate others to try extra hard to reach their goals – after all, if their colleagues can do it, why not them as well?! Such recognition can be given at team meetings, events or even via a team Facebook Group. In fact, recognising and promoting something such as a rise in rank is guaranteed to keep the motivational momentum high.
So, to truly motivate your team, try making these simple tactics part of your strategy for success and see your business soar to the next level.
