You're leading a mobile app development team. How do you keep them motivated?

To keep team motivated: Start by sharing the purpose of what you're building and why it matters. Use real user stories or interviews to illustrate the problems your app aims to solve. Emphasize real-life scenarios where your app will make a difference, presenting use cases in Jobs To Be Done terms. This helps the team connect with the mission on a personal level. After outlining user problems, articulate your vision for addressing these issues. This vision should go beyond a list of features; it's a broad explanation of your strategy to solve the problem and fulfill the mission. Finally, present a roadmap for at least a year, detailing how you plan to tackle the problem and the experiments you'll conduct to find effective solutions.

Foster a positive work environment, acknowledge achievements, provide growth opportunities, encourage open communication, and recognise and reward team contributions.

The team needs to know about the app before they start building it. So they need to know the following things: - Why are you building the app? - Who will be the users? - What value does the app bring? - How will the app help people? - What are the goals of the app? - What problem does the app solve? When the developers know this, they will be more motivated to work on the app and build it in the best way possible.

Showing them their values and hearing from them is important, open communication and celebrating the wins together would be great. Define clear goals and knowing them that how their contribution is to bigger and providing opportunities for growth. work-life balance and recognizing their achievements are also important.

Clearly communicate what is expected from each team member, including their roles, responsibilities, and the specific goals they need to achieve. Break down the roadmap into actionable tasks and milestones, and align these with individual and team objectives. Ensure everyone understands the quality standards, timelines, and how their work contributes to the overall success of the project. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions will help keep everyone on track and clarify any uncertainties, reinforcing a culture of transparency and accountability. Setting clear expectations not only guides the team's efforts but also empowers them to take ownership of their work, driving motivation and commitment.

Tell the team about what are the features that are needed in the app. Give them deadlines and let them know about what they have to deliver and when. Let them know how you will measure progress of the app and what is expected of them. When your expectations are clear, developers know what to do exactly and this makes work easy for both you and them. This also prevents any conflicts or misunderstandings and confusion. This will also help the team to prioritize tasks and meet expectations.

Feedback should be given to team members in a timely and constructive manner. Avoid criticism in feedback sessions and instead use the sandwich method. The sandwich method is when you give the feedback in this format: praise + area of improvement + praise. So mention one thing that they did nicely and then one place where they can improve and then again end with something great that they did. Also, recognize team members for excellent performance and reward them regularly. This keeps them motivated. Thank them for their continuous efforts in the project. These steps will keep your team on track as well as keep them motivated to contribute more and increase their confidence in their skills and abilities

Regularly offer constructive feedback to each team member, focusing on both areas of improvement and acknowledging their successes. Personalized feedback shows you value their contribution and are invested in their growth. Celebrate milestones, big wins, and even small achievements to foster a positive team atmosphere and boost morale. Recognition can be formal, like awards or public acknowledgments in meetings, or informal, such as personal thank-you notes or shout-outs in team channels. This approach not only motivates the team by highlighting their impact on the project but also builds a culture of appreciation and respect, encouraging continuous improvement and innovation.

Micromanagement is a motivation miller. A mobile leader can foster trust and motivation within their team members by trusting them to do their job and providing flexibility in how they get the job done and when and where (within reason, there are many different corporate philosophies on working location.) Part of this fostering is giving your team members the flexibility and autonomy to make design decisions. Let them propose new libraries, design patterns, and code standards that best suit your project. Also, allow them to defend their choices to their colleagues and other engineers to gain support and buy-in. Finally, give recognition and promote the excellent work that your team members have accomplished!

Motivation (along with many other internal states) is not only contagious, but it is also top-down. As a leader, it is essential that you are positive, upbeat, professional, and excited! Your team needs to see that you are just as fired up and committed to the project/mission (if not more than) they are. By authentically showing your excitement and passion, you will unite your team under a common goal and create a high-energy work environment by encouraging your team members to have the same internal state. Specifically for mobile leaders, share your passion for mobile with your team. Demonstrate the mobile-first features you have built, introduce new learnings you have read about in the mobile space, and advocate for your mobile app!