The best ways to motivate your team

It’s common for an individual’s motivation to crash at some point during their career. This could be for a number of work-related or personal reasons. A good manager needs to be on the look out for low motivation within their team and know how to reignite work place happiness in the interests of their staff and business.

The benefits of having a happy, motivated team are many. Motivated staff are more engaged, productive and valuable team members. But when it comes to finding the best ways to motivate your team they may not be what you’d expect.

Happiness vs pleasure

A pay rise might be the first thing that comes to mind when you are thinking of ways to motivate your team. However, the chances are this will provide a short-lived boost before motivation dwindles again.

It’s important for you to understand the difference between happiness and pleasure when you are trying to motivate staff to work towards a shared goal.

Happiness is a state of mind – it cannot be bought like pleasure. The downside of trying to motivate your team with pleasurable things – such as money, gifts and treats – is that the feelings these spark are fleeting and will not breed long-term happiness.

So what will bring your team happiness and make them more motivated to work with you to build your business? Here’s where to focus:

Good leadership

Be a good leader by sharing your vision for the team and making sure everyone knows how they contribute to the business’ overall success.

Empower your staff

Share control of business decisions with your team and empower them to shape their own work schedule. This might involve flexible or home working to create a better work-life balance.

Also, encourage your team to stop thinking about work in their personal time, like at lunch or the weekend. This will make them more productive, accurate and motivated in the normal working day.

Job security

Give your team reason to feel secure in their jobs. Share your organisation’s business plans, how it is investing in the future and the positive impact this will have for staff.

The opportunity to grow

Your staff will feel motivated to stretch themselves if there are opportunities to grow within your business. This may involve training to help them master their role or the opportunity to take a step up within the business.

Read more about how to retain top performers and develop leaders within your business.

Motivating your team

To sum up, the best ways to motivate your team are strongly aligned with investing in their long-term happiness. Quick fixes may generate a momentary buzz, but are unlikely to keep your staff performing at their peak.

Ocean Edge offers recruitment consultancy services to the affordable housing sector. We have teams in London and Southampton who are ready to help you recruit to your organisation. Contact us at Ocean Edge by calling 023 8000 1153 or emailing info@oceanedge.biz.