Anyone who has ever owned a business or led a large team will likely be the first to tell you that employees are the lifeblood of any company. They can be your biggest assets and also present the biggest challenges. How do you keep your team motivated to keep striving for excellence day in and day out? Our finalists have spoken! Here are TOP 3 tips on keeping your team motivated.*
“Every business has highs and lows and on some occasions, the lows can be more significant than the highs. However, keeping an optimistic and positive attitude despite the lows is key to maintaining motivation. In order to do that, I keep a log of all positive testimonials we receive and all the successes we’ve had to date, no matter how small. Every time there is a setback, I open the log and go through all the achievements and encouraging feedback we’ve received over the years and remind myself that for every bad day, there is an equally good one.
We all know the saying ‘’one door closes another one opens’’ so I try to keep that in mind every time a pushback comes our way. When you are in charge of a team, you constantly evolve and learn from mistakes and setbacks so whenever something negative comes up I try to see it with gratitude and regard it as a learning curve in my journey of growth.
In terms of maintaining my team’s motivation, I believe support and understanding are key. I keep a grounded and friendly approach when interacting with my team to encourage honest communication. This ensures that when an obstacle arises, the members of my team feel comfortable discussing it openly with me and working together as a team to find a solution. I ensure to show my understanding from their point of view and provide as much support as I can. I think that working in a supportive environment where you feel comfortable and safe to express your feelings about certain situations plays a big part in maintaining your motivation.”
Tina Euri, Founder, Moving Waves
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“It is important to provide regular clarity of direction and context, so people understand the contribution they’re making, have confidence in what we are doing, which in turn drives commitment.
Social connections are critical, understanding the person behind the role enables you to provide the right support and stretch for them, and to use the different strengths of the team. I also find a good sense of humour is helpful in seeing us through challenging times!”
Sarah Khan, Global Communications Manager, Pladis
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“From my interviews with many hundreds of women (and men) as well as personal experience – if you don’t have the right motivators it is difficult to move beyond the setbacks.
It starts with having absolute clarity in knowing what I want to achieve, in life as well as business. I keep reminders on my office walls, on my computer desktop and even in my purse. Images and phrases that remind me of where I’m going and why.
I choose to look at flops and failures as feedback treating them as learning experiences. And I have had many learning experiences with Minerva. What I have found is it’s not so much the experience, more how you choose to think about the experience.
Right now, I have a team of one. In the past, I have had the responsibility for teams of hundreds. The principles are the same. Clear shared vision and understanding, always lead by example and provide meaningful communications.”
Miranda Christopher, Business Owner, The Minerva Directory
*Sources: Forbes.com
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