Here's how you can motivate your team members as a temporary or contract leader.

To genuinely build trust in a short time, focus on being a facilitator for your team’s ongoing success. Highlight how your temporary leadership will pave the way for future stability and growth. Ensure that the initiatives you start are designed for sustainability, and actively involve the team in decision-making processes. This approach demonstrates your commitment to their long-term well-being, making your short-term presence impactful and valued.

Transparency and clarity are key in your role. Clearly communicate your role and the timeframe of your leadership. Set clear intentions and goals from the beginning. Engage with your team on both personal and professional levels to understand their aspirations and challenges. This approach can lead to mutual respect, which is critical for effective motivation. Trust is essential in leadership, and without it, your ability to inspire and lead the team will be significantly impaired. Prioritize open communication and genuine engagement to build a strong, trust-based foundation.

As a temporary or contract leader, motivating your team members can be a challenge. One effective way to do so is by focusing on the present moment and acknowledging their efforts, rather than trying to build long-term relationships. Show appreciation for their hard work and dedication, and highlight the impact they're having on the project's success. Additionally, set clear goals and expectations, and provide regular feedback and coaching to help them feel accomplished and confident in their roles. By doing so, you can create a sense of purpose and motivation among your team members, even in the short term.

Justice, Fairness and equality should not only be for permanent employees but for anyone who works for the organization. A company's culture must be reflective of these practices and should have these embedded into their cultural paradigms. Afterall it is about creating those WOW or memorable or at least a salubrious experience for the person. A company's brand is always a reflection of these people friendly practices.

A focused and proactive approach is necessary to maximize engagement and productivity when motivating team members as a temporary or contract leader. Initially, it is crucial to establish explicit objectives and expectations that are consistent with the project or organizational objectives. Effectively communicate these goals and emphasize the significance of each team member's contribution. Then, cultivate a work environment that is inclusive and supportive, ensuring that each team member feels empowered and appreciated. Acknowledge and commemorate accomplishments and milestones and provide opportunities for professional development and growth. Finally, set a positive example by exhibiting a proactive attitude, resilience, and enthusiasm.

A leader's responsibility is to create a vision for the organization. - The set objectives and goals directing to the vision needs to be clearly articulated and communicated to the team for execution. - Ensure the team understands the importance of the goals, seek their buy in. They need to feel "heard" and motivated to contribute to the success. - Set achievable and measurable targets which inspires the team to commit and dedicate their efforts in the right direction. This will make the progressive results transparent. - This will give them a sense of accomplishment and happiness of ownership when the milestones are fulfilled which will keep the team motivated and inspired.

As a team leader, explain the goal, collaborate with them, appreciate and encourage, give better ideas to achieve goal etc...

Your role as a temporary leader is to provide stability and remove the uncertainty resulting from recent changes. Set clear objectives for the team, encourage open dialogue not only with you but also between teams, and listen to what's being said. Meet regularly with the team using technology as required. At meetings, ask for feedback about how information is received and encourage the team to ask questions. Dispel any rumours and deal with misinformation immediately. Look at existing communication methods. Consider their effectiveness. Ask the team for suggestions about improvement. During this temporary situation, effective communication and its continuous development should be regarded as a priority.

Support the identity of the team rather than strictly focusing on them as individuals. Help them grow together. This will help you create an inclusive environment.

Don't wait for grand achievements to offer praise. Recognize and appreciate small wins, milestones, and individual contributions. Publicly acknowledge their efforts and celebrate their successes. During my time as a contract leader, I implemented a weekly "shout-out" where I would highlight the achievements of different team members. This simple practice significantly boosted morale and fostered a sense of camaraderie.

Don't let challenges dampen your spirit. Maintain a positive and optimistic attitude, even in the face of setbacks. Your energy and enthusiasm are contagious and can inspire your team to persevere. When I joined a struggling team as a temporary leader, the morale was low. By focusing on their strengths, celebrating small victories, and maintaining a positive outlook, I was able to shift the team's mindset and create a more productive and enjoyable work environment.

In addition to the considerations mentioned find the strengths and passions of the team members and then authentically value and celebrate those contributions to ensure sustainable buy-in!

When you are with a team as a leader temporarily, you need to understand what your mission with the team is. Is it meant to manage a project? Is it to help them with what they do? Or what's really your role, and the bigger objective behind it? And while you are with the team, you need to make sure that you support the team with what they need, instead of driving your own agenda, which is typically different when you're there temporarily, rather than a long term leadership role. Firstly, find out, acknowledge and appreciate what works in the team. Find out what holds them back and support them with removing roadblocks in the best way you can. So you elevate what they do rather than change the way they work.

Just because you might be getting paid differently than your team, or only with a company for a known and finite amount of time, I do not believe that changes the ways in which we should interact. Echoing everything said here, treating people with respect, providing transparency, and being honest should be the bare minimum expected in any working relationship. Having said that, I also like to provide the space for people to do what they need to do and let me know what I can do for them.