We all know that our businesses are often only as good as the teams that support us. We understand and appreciate that in order to succeed we need to look after our teams, but sometimes, whilst in the thick of the day to day, it can be hard to stand back and consider what we need to do in order to do this. Well, we have got you covered as this is where we come in as we share with you 7 steps to a happy and motivated team.
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Be clear
You need to communicate effectively and ensure that everybody in your team understands both their own role and the part that they play in the bigger picture. Ensure that you have a clear business plan and vision and that everyone understands it. You need to all be pulling in the same direction, and in order to do this effectively, you all need to know what that direction is. In addition to this clarity, if everyone appreciates the goals that you are aiming for, everyone can celebrate them when they are achieved. Break down annual to monthly to daily goals and ensure that you share any progress towards them and jump up and down when you hit them.
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Make it manageable
Ensure that you schedule work for you and your team that makes the best use of time and keeps everybody motivated. Do not allow one person or department to become overloaded where possible, as this is where pressure and stress levels will rise. We understand that this is not always avoidable, so if this does arise seek to use other resources to support them and at the very least acknowledge the strain that they are under, pitch in and assure them that they are appreciated. Put in place a reward further down the line to thank staff if they went considerably above and beyond for you.
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Regular reviews
Every business is different and you will understand how these regular reviews will best look for your team. It is worth holding frequent team meetings to continue with open and clear communication towards your targets and aims, offering a forum for everyone to contribute ideas and share any potential issues or obstacles. In addition to these team meetings, reviews held on a one to one basis will allow you to explore performance with individuals. These are opportunities to recognise strong performances, extra effort and any changes being made and thank people for them. They are also there to set up action points that can keep people striving to do more and feeling challenged and stimulated in their work. These can be as formal or as informal as is appropriate to your management style and business, you just need to ensure that they happen.
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Get involved
Be there, supporting and understanding every part of your business. You need not be the expert in every field, delegating to more skilled people is a strength, but showing interest in every field is critical. It will not only allow you a greater depth of understanding, it will also demonstrate to every member of your team that what they are doing is valuable and of importance to you and the business.
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Colourful and comfortable
Look around at your workspace, what are the words that you would use to describe it? Studies have shown that people perform to higher standards when they are working in comfortable surroundings. If you have an office with no windows, painted in dull colours with uncomfortable furniture and outdated equipment, you might want to start thinking about what you can do to improve the conditions for your team. They are spending hours of their week in this room, what can be done to make it more appealing? Brighter colours, lighting or pictures can help, and if budget allows, more comfortable furniture. If at all possible, add in relaxing break out areas and ensure that you get the temperature right. If viable, treat the team to cakes, coffees or breakfast once a month and treat the office to fresh flowers regularly from an online florist, such as Fig & Bloom. Australian flowers are sure to brighten up the office even on dull days and make the team smile, and cake is always going to be a hit. These suggestions may seem frivolous, but it is often these little extra touches that employees appreciate and remember most about their employers.
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Manage underperformance
Whilst we all like to think that we will not need to do this, the chances are that at some point you are going to need to manage underperformance issues. This is crucial to maintaining a motivated team on two different levels. Firstly, for the employee that it involves, as a one to one meeting addressing their underperformance offers them a chance to better understand your expectations and work out how they can deliver them. A well-conducted underperformance meeting should conclude with the team member taking away clear and measurable action points and feeling supported to carry them out. Secondly, a team that is working hard yet can see someone not pulling their weight is likely to become dissatisfied. They need to see that such behaviour is unacceptable and will be addressed, you must give this to them.
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Lead and inspire
You are not simply the owner or the boss, you are the leader. Leaders need to inspire, guide, coach and work hard to demonstrate the traits that they are looking for from their teams. As such, it is down to you to inspire a loyalty to you through your actions every single day. The above 6 steps are the best places to start with this as they will foster loyalty within your team and by offering clear direction and recognising all efforts, you will be leading effectively. Every person on your team is valuable, ensure that you convey that in all that you do to them and you will be leading, and leading well.
