You are a team leader and you have noticed that your team is underperforming. They are not meeting their deadlines, their quality of work is low, and they seem unmotivated and disengaged. What can you do to turn things around and boost their morale and productivity? Here are some tips to help you motivate your team and improve their performance.
The first step to motivate your team is to understand why they are underperforming. There could be many reasons, such as lack of clear goals, feedback, recognition, resources, training, or autonomy. You need to communicate with your team members and listen to their concerns, challenges, and suggestions. You can also use tools like surveys, performance reviews, or SWOT analysis to gather more data and insights. Once you identify the root causes, you can address them and make the necessary changes.
Some form of personal engagement is the way to go. It needs to be an interactive process beyond surveys and performance reviews. A lot of times body language and nonverbal queues can tell you more than what a person wrote on a survey or feedback form. When do it via personal engagement it shows you actually care about their performance and what to work with them on finding a solution.
The second step to motivate your team is to set SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. SMART goals help your team to have a clear direction, focus, and accountability. They also help you to monitor their progress and provide feedback and support. You should involve your team in the goal-setting process and make sure they understand and agree with the expectations and outcomes. You should also align the team goals with the organizational vision and mission.
By emphasizing Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives, we can effectively address the root causes of underperformance and collaboratively devise targeted solutions. Involving the team in the goal-setting process fosters a sense of ownership and ensures that the goals resonate with their individual motivations and aspirations. Moreover, aligning team goals with the organizational vision and mission can create a sense of purpose and meaning, inspiring greater commitment and engagement from team members. I believe that integrating SMART goals within the context of design thinking principles can serve as a more powerful tool for motivating and empowering underperforming teams.
Involving the team in setting goals is a must if you want buy-in. If possible set some sort of pay off at the end. Treat them to a lunch or some kind of team outing if they meet the goals set for them.
The third step to motivate your team is to provide feedback and recognition. Feedback is essential for your team to learn from their mistakes, improve their skills, and grow professionally. You should provide constructive, timely, and frequent feedback to your team members and encourage them to do the same for each other. Recognition is also important for your team to feel valued, appreciated, and motivated. You should acknowledge and celebrate their achievements, efforts, and contributions. You can use various methods, such as verbal praise, rewards, incentives, or public recognition.
The fourth step to motivate your team is to empower your team. Empowerment means giving your team members more autonomy, responsibility, and authority to make decisions and solve problems. Empowerment boosts your team's confidence, creativity, and engagement. You can empower your team by delegating tasks, providing resources and support, encouraging innovation and collaboration, and trusting them to deliver results. You should also respect their opinions, ideas, and feedback and involve them in decision-making processes.
We should foster an environment where creativity, collaboration, and innovation can flourish. Empowering teams reflects a commitment to valuing their insights and expertise. When team members feel trusted and respected, they are more likely to take ownership of their work and contribute meaningfully to achieving shared goals. Moreover, by encouraging innovation and collaboration, we can effectively leverage diverse perspectives to drive new solutions and address complex challenges.
Nothing kills team morale quicker than a micro-manager who questions everything they do and insists on being involved in every decision.
The fifth step to motivate your team is to foster a positive culture. Culture is the set of values, norms, and behaviors that shape how your team interacts and works together. A positive culture promotes trust, respect, communication, and collaboration among your team members. It also enhances their well-being, satisfaction, and loyalty. You can foster a positive culture by modeling the desired behaviors, setting clear and fair rules, resolving conflicts, and building rapport. You should also create a fun and enjoyable work environment, such as organizing social events, games, or contests.
The sixth step to motivate your team is to invest in training and development. Training and development are vital for your team to acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies that can help them perform better and achieve their goals. They also show your team that you care about their personal and professional growth and that you want them to succeed. You can invest in training and development by providing coaching, mentoring, online courses, workshops, seminars, or conferences. You should also encourage your team to pursue their own learning opportunities and share their learnings with others.
Sometimes it can be as simple as investing a few hours in getting the team proper training on the technology solutions they are using.