Motivation is one major element that drives our lives. Without this, it's difficult to sustain in this ever-evolving competitive world. It empowers us to achieve our goals and increases our dedication and enthusiasm.
Especially today, when most of the population suffers from anxiety and depression, motivation is a reliable solution.
There’s a rising demand for professional leaders with the necessary skills to drive the workforce towards improved productivity and efficiency.
The practical approach of leading a team and drawing maximum efficiency from them is essential to become an influential leader. To achieve this, one must know the best practices to put into practice. The journey of motivating employees and transforming them into professionals driven by a sense of purpose is undoubtedly tricky but attainable. Here’s a brief roadmap to guide you in the process.
Psychology Behind Team Motivation
Before jumping into the different practices leaders can follow to motivate their team members, they must understand the psychology behind them.
There are broadly two types of motivation for employees — extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation includes raises in pay scale and in-office perks, whereas intrinsic motivation is more personal to the team members. In this case, encouragement comes from within when a certain task is accomplished and well appreciated.
Extrinsic motivations are temporary; leaders should always focus on motivating their team members with intrinsic values. However, a carefully structured blend of the two can work wonders.
Five Best Practices to Motivate Your Team
In a professional setting, employees collaborate to achieve the given objective efficiently. However, leaders can also accelerate this process using motivational techniques and strategies. Here are some practices that can help bring desirable results if used properly.
Communication
A clear communication channel in a team is one of the essential factors in making things work for the best. It engages team members more, and regular updates, feedback, and criticisms keep them informed and motivated.
Another element that must be communicated is the vision of the organisation and the expectations of each employee. This deep understanding of the impact of their work will boost their motivation further.
Empowering team members
Apart from building strong communication among team members, empowering them by giving them a sense of ownership of the work is important. This autonomy makes them feel more included in the organisation with responsibilities they are accountable for. However, this practice shouldn’t be exercised at the cost of teamwork, as it boosts productivity. A balance between the two is imperative.
Positive work environment
The nature of the work environment makes a huge difference in the performance of a professional. It is often overlooked, but a positive change can deliver unimaginable output. Thus, team leaders should give due importance to the work environment of their team members and make it more inclusive, comfortable, and energetic for them.
Professional development opportunities
In today’s time, professionals are always looking to upskill and enhance their body of work. However, they cannot pursue them actively due to their professional responsibilities and lack of time. Thus, when the organisation takes a step toward motivating and supporting its employees in their dreams, it makes them feel more included and adds to the company's growth. An environment of continuous learning is an excellent factor contributing to both organisation and employee development.
Rewarding achievements
Acknowledgement and appreciation are two basic elements most leaders forget to use. Acknowledging the contributions of team members and appreciating their accomplishments encourages them to put their heart and soul into their work. Furthermore, they can be rewarded for their hard work and dedication with bonuses, souvenirs or other material or abstract forms of encouragement.
Build relationship
Being a part of an organisation and working daily together naturally builds a relationship among the employees. However, this is a professional equation, and team leaders should aim to create rapport and trust among their team members. This transparent and authentic relationship lays the foundation for mutual respect. This enables team members to be much more open to suggestions and feedback.
Ensuring work-life balance
One major concern that almost every professional has nowadays is balancing their professional and personal lives. This has become a matter of concern with the work overload disturbing their lives. Therefore, in such cases, leaders should ensure a healthy work-life balance for their team members by offering flexible schedules, encouraging breaks, and providing work-from-home opportunities.
One-on-one discussions
Leading a team is also about managing the members individually and giving importance to each of them. One can become an influential leader by caring about each team member. To do this, leaders can arrange one-on-one discussions with every team member, breaking the ice between the two and learning about their goals and perspectives. This simple step by the team leaders not only empowers the employees to put their best foot forward but also lets them open up to the leaders about any issues they face.
Conclusion
Managing a team is one thing, but motivating them throughout for maximum efficiency is another. Leaders often forget this crucial element of leadership while focusing on the final output. Without the constant motivation and drive to accomplish end goals, employees might realise the target but always lack efficiency.
Hence, team leaders, managers and others in leadership roles must know the psychology behind motivating their team members and the best practices. Although there’s no single way to encourage your team, leaders can see positive changes starting with the practices mentioned above.
For more in-depth knowledge, enrol in the IIM Lucknow Leadership Programme offered by Imarticus, where industry leaders will guide you in becoming one of them. This new-age global senior leadership programme will build you into the leader you have always dreamed of.
To learn more about these leadership courses from IIM, visit Imarticus Learning today.
