4 ways to motivate your team like a true leader

1. Become the best at providing feedback

The goal of feedback is to improve the end result.

After receiving feedback on their work, creators feel empowered to improve and do better next time having been given relevant tools to do so.

Criticism only focuses on what’s wrong with the project or piece of content, which could negatively affect the creator’s self-esteem and lead to low confidence levels.

Do a little soul-searching and ask yourself: have I been providing my team with feedback or criticism?

This is how you should give feedback:

1. Instead of ‘What is wrong about your piece of content/strategy/plan is…..’, say ‘The elements which require further work are …..’
2. Be specific and always explain your feedback: ‘Because the colours are not on-brand’, ‘Because the copy for the social media post doesn’t observe the brand’s archetype’
3. Don’t focus only on the elements that need improvement, your feedback should also acknowledge what the creator did right;
4. Start with the positive: put the creator in a relaxed frame of mind, build trust and show them your goal is to help them improve and grow;
5. Suggest solutions or resources that can help the creator solve a particular problem or inspire them with a different approach.

2. Help your team build skills at work

1. Start an internal learning & skill-building program for all employees. It will help your company close skills gaps;
2. According to the latest LinkedIn report, employees’ number 1 motivation to learn is to progress toward their career goals;
3. Have career conversations with your team members and find the best solution with high ROI for both your company and the employee in terms of necessary new skills (it’s more effective business-wise to invest in employee retention than in hiring new talent);
4. Provide opportunities for internal mobility. As per LinkedIn, at the 2-year mark, an employee who has made an internal move is 75% more likely to stay with the company;
5. Find out where are your team members on the S-learning curve. Are they beginners, fast learners or experts? The winning team is composed of 15% beginners, 15% experts and 70% fast learners.

3. Teach your team the right way to approach challenges

Apply the Super Mario Effect for team development:?

1. Reframe the challenge in such a way that your team doesn’t concern themselves with failure;
2. Gamify the challenge;
3. Nurture an attitude of learning more about the challenge, by not being focused on the prospect of failure;
4. Reward the desire to keep looking for solutions to the challenge;
5. Maintain excitement with rewards relevant to your team;
6. Don’t punish your team if they are unsuccessful in solving the challenge;
7. Give your team a feeling of accomplishment.

4. Coach your team to achieve their professional objectives

1. Make every member of your team feel seen;
2. Nurture a relationship with each team member based on mutual respect and trust;
3. When talking to a team member, practise being in the present moment and connected to them. No phones, no notifications, no calls, no interruptions, give the other person your undivided attention;
4. Open the doors to opportunities for them to develop and acquire skills and become the best that they can be;
5. Unite your team around your vision which is usually easier said than done. Talk to them about your vision, invite questions, encourage conversations and allow them to be wrong so they can learn from it.

Here’s how Professor Costas Markides recommends team leaders approach motivation:

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