Dr. Kulneet Suri is a Senior Director of IMS Noida and IMS DIA. Dr. Suri earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration, M.Phil and HDSE from premier Universities. Additionally, she also received a Doctorate in Business Management from TSNU- Kyiv Eastern Europe. Dr. Suri has contributed in conferences at the National and International level such as IIT Delhi, CEGR, IIC, Griffith College, ENU, the University of West Of Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, and the University of London. She has chaired conferences at the National and International level.
To help an organization grow, it takes a lot on the part of the managers. They need to deal with people management to motivate and help the team work efficiently rather than just focusing on personal goals. It takes various motivation strategies to achieve the desired results and create a spirit of enthusiasm among the team members. Leading teams, supervising staff/co-workers, or managing projects require different strategies to motivate and get the work done. The way you manage gives a glimpse of your leadership and interpersonal style. Keeping the team members motivated can be at times challenging but it is a task that you need to prioritize for the benefit of the company. Remember, without your team working together, you cannot run the organization smoothly.
Leading and motivating a team starts with a common goal. You need to be transparent and honest in the way you connect with your team, making them feel valued. Let them know their contribution and worth in the business and make sure to tell them they are performing well. Sometimes, just a pat on the back is not enough. You need to follow several strategies to motivate the team and its members. So, here we have outlined few ways that you can use to motivate your team as a manager and maintain a happy workspace that drives success.
Provide a Pleasant Work Environment
No one wants to work in an annoying environment. Hence, make sure that the work environment is fair and stimulating for the employees to carry on with their tasks and perform well. A pleasant and positive workplace with fun, support, flexibility, and openness will make employees feel good to work. However, it should also be challenging enough to stretch people outside their comfort zone to learn and grow. Creating an interactive and engaging environment will let teams share and explore new ideas and stay motivated. Make sure the workplace fosters collaboration, active participation, work distribution, and team spirit for its members to increase efficiency and workplace morale.
Support and Inspire
It is important to note that a manager’s support matters a lot to the team. You have to be the one who gives them the tools and techniques to achieve the desired set of organizational goals. Without a manager’s support, a team cannot thrive. In everything from regular briefings and information to training and guidance, a manager has a major role to support and inspire the team. As a manager, your support system needs to offer the right balance of prompt and long-term support for the team and increase their productivity. Supporting the team and giving them a hand in times of need will certainly let your team stay inspired and motivated to dedicate themselves to the tasks assigned.
Show Appreciation
Appreciation is one of the greatest rewards that every employee seeks. When you work in teams, you cannot expect dedication in work without proper appreciation and motivation. Making people feel appreciated is much more than monetary rewards. As a manager, you need to show sincere gratitude towards your team members and appreciate them for their unique contribution to the organization. Let your team know the milestones in each of your projects and celebrate the success together with them. This way, you can make them feel valued and appreciated. Just a small ‘thank you’ and ‘good job done’ gestures can go a long way. It pushes the team members to continue making the efforts for high-quality and efficient work and ethics.
Promote Personal and Career Growth
Employees are more likely to contribute and achieve better when they are given more opportunities for career advancement and self-development. It is important to create an environment that fosters learning new skills and training to advance their career so that they become knowledgeable about latest trends and technologies. When team members are assured that their organization provides them with avenues and opportunities to advance their position, it would motivate them to work better and with consistent efficiency. This will help them feel valued and makes them stay committed to their positions in the organization.
Be Flexible
In today’s age, working remotely in flexible hours has become increasingly popular. Such kind of flexibility in the work environment can increase productivity, drive efficiency, and boost the morale of team members as well as create a positive impact on the company and their leaders. This is particularly a big motivator for teams as they show increased engagement with lesser stress levels during work.
Simple strategies to motivate teams can make a lot of difference. So, as a manager, when you combine the energy, skills, and knowledge of a motivated team, you can accomplish anything you set to do. But remember not to drain the energy out of the team; instead, fire them up. Empower, respect, and support teams like they feel inspired and motivated to stay.
In a nutshell, it is important that, as managers, you analyze and understand the factors leading to team performance, and then focus on improving the efficiency and productivity of the team members through these motivation strategies. This will not only make the team more productive and successful but will also contribute to the overall success of the organization.