10 Quick Tips to Motivate Those Underperforming On Your Team

No one wants to fail at work.?

Most people don't wake up thinking about how they can deliberately derail a project at work or their team's progress.??

Yet we see teams set themselves up to fail when they fall into conflict, passive-aggressive behavior, or lack of holding each other accountable.

When you're the leader, it's your responsibility to foster a consistent level of performance, which is based not just on ability and execution but your team's motivation.

And because individual motivation is primarily intrinsic, your success in inspiring your direct reports to behave in ways that further the cause and support each other is limited.?

So it's not uncommon for leaders to criticize others rather than coach them, wondering to themselves, "why should I have to be your cheerleader and handhold you? You're an adult, and you get paid well; this is your job!"?

Or leaders will give up on the effort, thinking,?

"Fine, I'll just get someone else to do it or do it myself."

Yet we know both of those options are unsustainable in the long run.?

Instead of giving up or attacking your team, take a step back and make a thoughtful plan about how to reignite your team and get everyone rowing in the same direction.

And when in doubt, start with your own passion. You've got to be excited about what you're doing if you want other people to follow suit. If you're in a rut, work on getting yourself out of it first and share how you are doing it. Lead by example; your people notice what you say and do, just by being their boss.

Here are ten quick tips to consider.

Be sure you and they are clear about why your work matters.

Do you see the more profound value in the objective, or is it just something you're doing because your boss told you to do it?

If the latter, you can still work to define the purpose of the work and align it with needs that are bigger than your own.

People are inspired by the opportunity to create, serve and build things when they know it means something to others.??

Ask your team members what they think is missing from their performance, and listen carefully.

Ask them:

"How do you think you're doing?

Follow up by asking:

"What is working well, and what might you do differently?"

They might have a great deal of insight into what's making them unmotivated or holding them back. Maybe they just haven't been given a chance to share it in a way that feels like they are being heard.

Calibrate the right amount of stretch in your goals.

Set achievable goals together, so they feel more invested in the process, can see their progress along the way, and feel accomplished when they reach the end.

Make sure the amount of stretch is optimal: too hard, and people give up; too easy, and people get bored. Work with the team to find the sweet spot.

Get people excited about crossing the finish line with meaningful incentives.

Offer thoughtful rewards for completing those goals by a specific date. But make the incentives meaningful and ask them for ideas.

Don't make your team feel like it's a transaction that serves you and the company but doesn't truly bring a sense of personal and recognizable accomplishment to them.

Check in periodically to ensure they understand the work involved.

Many people are afraid to ask questions, so they try and hope for the best. Make it clear that you want them to come to you with any questions or concerns about the project/task. It's a good idea to set goals and then give people the autonomy to get there.

However, depending on where people stand in experience level and capability, some may require more direction and instructions until they can shed the training wheels. Don't assume everyone is at the same stage of learning and development to achieve shared goals.

Don't take sides or make assumptions about your team's lack of motivation.

We don't always know what's going on with each team member until we've heard their story.

They might be dealing with something else outside of work or struggling with prioritizing the big picture over small tasks.

Be honest and deliberate while fair in giving feedback.

Let your team members know that there's room for improvement and that they'll have to take action to make it happen.

Don't shy away from giving feedback because you are concerned about how they will take it. Consistency in observation and feedback matters for learning and growth.

At the same time, be honest and fair; don't use feedback as an opportunity to lash out and free yourself of your own frustrations.

Be empathetic while also making it clear they need to make some changes to get better results.

Show them the way.

Once you've had a conversation about where they are now and where they want to be, get them started creating a plan of action to reach their goals.

Coach them, don't just set expectations. Ask them to come to your next session showing their work and how they arrived at an answer.

Walk them through how you might approach it. And then set another goal for them to achieve before your following 1:1 conversation.

You can either make them feel empowered to grow or ashamed about their performance.?

Choosing the former will always yield better performance and longer-term success.??

Have an open conversation with them about their struggles without judgment or blame.

Create some space for you both to discuss what is happening and explore solutions together.

Maybe even share a bit about your challenges to show empathy and vulnerability.

Try to think of it as a problem that you can help solve together, rather than something one person needs to fix by themselves.

Recognize that motivation means different things to everyone.

I've learned a great deal from Daniel Pink's work on motivation and it's worth remembering that many of the things we think motivate people are not as effective as expected. Handing out gift cards every time someone does something well may be well received by some, but not others.

You may get motivated by a social gathering to celebrate our team's quarter, while I may prefer a personal acknowledgement from my boss and the option to stay home and celebrate with my family.

Learn more about what drives that next level of motivation and excitement for your team members and adjust your approach accordingly. It's better to co-create a plan of inspiration with them rather than just behave in ways you think will motivate them but may not have much effect at all (or even backfire).

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We all have that one or more team members who could be doing so much more if they just applied themselves more consistently.??

These people are typically not lazy; they just seem to lack that fire needed at the moment.?

And as humans, we all have times in our lives when we are in the flow or just trying to get by.?

As a leader, it's easy to get angry and blame your team for not meeting expectations, but it's never a valuable exercise for developing genuine follower-ship and motivation.

Try to manage your emotional reactions to underperformance and then be strategic and emotionally intelligent about how you respond to it using these tips.

After all, you can't force people to behave the way you want them to, even when you want the best for them.

But you can create an environment where honest communication, clarity, and coaching are available for everyone, inspiring rather than shaming people into performing at a higher level together.

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Nihar Chhaya is a leadership expert and executive coach to CEOs, startup founders, and senior leaders at global companies, including American Airlines, Cigna, Coca-Cola, Cox Enterprises, DraftKings, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Wieden + Kennedy, and many more.?

Download the free paper?"The Power of Coaching for Successful Executives"?by?visiting this link .?