3 Ways to Motivate Your Team

Motivation: internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal.

Motivation. We've all experienced it. We've all lacked it. 

But how do we keep it? And how do we teach it to our teams?

As a leadership coach, I love studying motivation and finding ways to keep individuals and teams focused and committed to their role, their goals, and their organization. 

While motivating yourself and others might seem out of reach at this current moment, here are 3 things that you can do to spark motivation.

#1: Clearly define your goals

"If people don't know what to do, they won't do anything at all"

- Unknown

It's true though. Ask yourself - do I know my goals? Does my team know where we're going?

Have you given your team clear, well-defined goals? Or are they a little bit hazy?

If you haven't, it's time to schedule time to sit down and assess your organizational goals and how your team plays a role in those goals. Once you've completed this step, communicate those goals to your team individually and collectively. Make sure that each team member leaves the conversation knowing exactly what it is that you want them to accomplish. 

#2: Get to know your team

You know yourself best.

Each person on your team knows themselves best.

Most people know what motivates them. They also know what gets them stuck. 

Do a quick inventory of your team.

Ask each person, "what motivates you?" and "what gets you stuck?"

You might be surprised what you discover and their answers might be completely different than what you may have otherwise guessed.

Knowing what motivates your team and what gets them stuck allows you to spur your team on when they're feeling lackluster and it also gives you insight into how to motivate them in their individual roles, goals, and tasks.

#3: Ask your team what they need from you

This one gets a little interesting and can take your relationship with your team to the next level. 

By humbling yourself and asking your team how you can be a better leader for them, it shows them that you are willing to do what it takes. While each request from each individual team member might not be realistic to grant, I firmly believe that there is always a middle ground.

Asking your team what they need from you shows your team that you are human, that you genuinely care, and that they can be honest with you in sharing their needs and concerns.

I'm a firm believer in making change slowly. So here's what I'd suggest. 

Choose one of the ideas listed above and implement it into your leadership this week. 

Assess the results and then maybe choose one more to test out.

. . .

I'd LOVE to hear how this goes for you, how it challenges you as a leader, and how your team grows as a result.

I offer leadership coaching & team development coaching for female leaders who want to make a bigger impact and missional organizations. 

If you want to take your team to the next level or grow in your leadership, send me an email ([email protected]) & let's chat more.