It’s been a long, tough year and with Christmas approaching, we’re all feeling the strain. So how do you keep your team motivated?
It’s dark when you wake up, and it’s dark when you get home. The sky is grey and it’s wet outside. Christmas is going to be different, and there will more than likely be no Christmas party to blow off steam and socialise with teammates and celebrate. So, how do you keep your team motivated?
Recognise a job well done. It’s been a tough year for everyone and your team will have pulled together to get through it. Recognition creates an emotional connection between employers and employees and fulfils employee’s basic needs of esteem and belonging. A small bonus or a gift for their hard work will help get them motivated at the end of this year and into the next.
Create ‘Stretch’ goals. For the New year when it comes to setting targets, look at each person as an individual. See how they’ve done professionally this year and what their strengths are. Then when it comes to setting targets, as opposed to a blanket target that is the same for each, offer individual targets that are just beyond their current capability. Dangling these goals will help push your employees beyond their own perceived limitations.
Focus on the Why. When setting targets and jobs, by focusing on the ‘why’ of the job and taking time to explain the importance, your employees will buy into the job more. For example, if you want to share an important announcement on social media, by explaining the reasoning behind the post eg, ‘this announcement is a game-changer for our business and the more shares we get will have an impact on how many people we reach,’ your employee will understand the reasoning better.
Boost Team Spirit with Matching Swag. Originally sports teams wore matching uniforms to help signal who was on which team, however, it goes far beyond this now. When your team matches, they know they are working together to achieve a common goal. Thus they feel a stronger sense of solidarity with one another. Obviously, if your team wears smart suits to work, you don’t want matching suits, however, you could offer a branded tie, a windbreaker, or even branded sunglasses.
Figure out what makes your employees tick. Your employees are all individual people with their own traits. Some are introverts, some are extroverts. Some thrive in a team, while others thrive independently. A one-size-fits-all approach to your team won’t work. Have individual meetings with employees to get to know them better and what motivates them and then align their personal side to their professional side to get the most from them…
With a motivated team, there is nothing your business can’t do… and heading into the New Year, now is the perfect time to get prepared…