Motivating Your Team

For a person to become motivated, they must work in an environment that fosters motivation. Paying close attention to the following factors will create that environment.

The word motivation is used in so many contexts today. Motivation is something we do as individuals. Motivation is something that we do in teams also. How do we motivate someone to do something? Actually we can't motivate anyone to do anything. Motivation comes from within and as individuals, we decide when we are motivated to take action, and as a team member, to take action as part of that team.

Having said that, motivation still plays a huge part in our society and in our teams. How do we create the right environment for people in our teams to be motivated to achieve, to excel?

Basic motivation to perform as a member of a team comes in the form of reward for effort. If you put in a fair days work you will be paid for your efforts. Moving on from this, some people are motivated to perform above the basic requirement and are rewarded according to their effort. Sales people have long thrived on this form of motivation. Reach a sales target and be rewarded with money or other incentives.

In a team, we can't always motivate with money or rewards. We can however create an environment where people are motivated to succeed as part of a team.

Here are five factors for creating an environment that fosters motivation:

1. Shared vision
2. Good communication
3. Shared values
4. Responsibility
5. Personal growth

 

1. Shared vision
   
   In my experience, the team that has taken the time to create a shared vision, is the team that will be motivated to succeed. Creating a shared vision allows everyone to get on board and work toward achieving that vision. A shared vision conveys a sense of concreteness, it becomes something vivid or real, and people can almost touch it, feel it and can definitely see it.
   
   Henry Ford had a great vision for the motor car. He wanted to create a car for the multitudes. He wanted to make a car so low in price, that anyone on a normal salary could afford to buy one and enjoy it with their family.
   
   Your team does not need to create such a far reaching vision, though one that is truly inspiring and shared by all team members will create an environment for motivation and a drive to achieve.
   
   The secret to a shared vision is to ensure that all team members have a stake in the vision. Even if staff move on or are replaced, the new team members must be recruited to share in and support the vision. They must understand how the vision was created and how they too can contribute and benefit from making that vision a reality.
   
   
2. Good communication
   
   Good communication is paramount in a highly motivated team. Communication both up and down through the team will ensure that everyone knows what is happening and why. Some leaders of teams create fantastic visions and then fail to communicate why that vision is important to the success of the team and its reason for being.
   
   Good communication means that people talk to each other both formally and informally. Formal meetings must be held regularly to share the news about what's happening outside the team and also to share the news about what's happening inside the team. Often teams created in various locations and without regular communication may not know what's happening to their colleagues. The other great tragedy is that people within teams can work close by on the same floor and still not know what is happening to their colleagues.
   
   Some teams communicate with short tool-box talks at the beginning of each day, that last for just ten minutes, others meet for a longer weekly briefing, still others distribute information by email briefings. Figure out what works best for your team, implement the system and stick to it.
   
   
3. Shared values
   
   There is no "right" set of values which a team must adhere to. Values exist in organisations and teams without necessarily ever being articulated. The secret to creating an environment of motivation in a team, is to share a similar set of values and to make that set of values publicly and vigourously supported.
   
   Values evolve over time for some teams and sometimes arise accidentally; others are core values and are fundamental to the existence of the team. Still other values are aspirational and are not yet "lived" by the team. These values are set for the team to strive to achieve and in themselves create a motivational environment.
   
   Values for teams can be as simple as quality, market responsiveness or customer service. Whatever the value, once the team understands it exists, they can work towards supporting that value and making it a reality for the team.
   
   
4. Responsibility
   
   People are more motivated to excel if they are given appropriate responsibility. Having ownership of a defined piece of work creates motivation. Coupled with responsibility must also be authority and accountability. Having authority to make something happen will ensure that it happens. Having accountability will ensure that it happens in a way that is positive and with minimum risk for the team.
   
   It is important to ensure that the responsibility and accountability are not so large as to overwhelm the staff member assigned the task. A little fear is a healthy thing, a lot of fear can result in the staff member feeling totaly overwhelmed and fail to act at all. Create an environment where the responsibility is seen as a positive chance to succeed and excel, and motivation will surely follow.
   
   
5. Personal growth
   
   Coupled closely with responsibility is personal growth. People are keen to develop themselves and their career paths. Creating opportunities for personal growth creates motivation. If people are learning new concepts, widening their skill base and challenging their minds, their motivation will increase alongside their personal growth.
   
   Personal growth bolsters people's self esteem and their self confidence. Look for every possible opportunity to grow and develop your staff. If you aren't sure where they need to develop, ask them! Listen carefully as people speak, they will tell you what the next challenge is for them. Challenges and growth lead to a high state of motivation.
   
   

Motivated teams achieve success

A team that shares a vision, has good communication, shares the same values, takes responsibility and encourages personal growth is a team that will be motivated to excel. Remember motivation comes from within.

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Lindsay Adams is the Chairman of the Board of Remacue. He has unique expertise in working with people to find your teams edge and moving up to high performance. For contact Lindsay Phone: +61 (0) 438 180 358 or Email: lindsay.adams@remacue.com. Remacue is a community of personal and organizational best practice experts who individually and in project teams provide unique services to good and great performance partners who want to be even better. Visit the Remacue web site at: www.remacue.com
First published: 27 September 2007.
Last updated: 27 September 2007.