7.1 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Key Factors for Building a Motivated Team

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Motivating Your Team at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Every manager wants their teams to be effective, focused, and committed to organizational goals.  Teams can only perform like this when their managers are motivating them effectively.  This can be establish by combining good motivational practices with meaningful work, the setting of performance goals, and use of an effective reward system.

1. Providing Productive and Challenging Work

The first step in building a highly motivated team is providing interesting work.  It will be hard to motivate people and work will be less than ideal if the work is badly designed, no matter how self-motivated a person is, how challenging the goals he or she sets, or how wonderful the rewards.  Effective motivators understand that work design has a strong impact on performance.

2. Setting Effective Goals

The next thing is to ensure that workers have clear and attainable goals.  The effectiveness of goal setting in motivation is a well-recognized fact. Powerfully motivating goals can be set by making goals specific, consistent, and appropriately challenging.

Specific goals are measurable, unambiguous and behavior-changing.  Having goals that are consistent with other personal goals as well as organizational goals is also important.  Challenge is important, due to the observation that we get what we expect.

3. Understanding Individual Differences in Motivation

Motivational techniques should bring out the best in people.  Motivational should build on an individual's strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses.

There are some common denominators in motivation, like fair wages, decent working conditions, a sense of camaraderie with co-workers, and a good relationship with one’s supervisor.  There are also things like challenging work, control, growth opportunities, and recognition for a job well done.

Understanding individual needs is mandatory for building a motivating workplace.  Some will be motivated by more time off, while others may prefer to gain status and recognition in the company.

4. Providing Rewards and Recognition

The primary focus of a reward system is fairness.  Setting specific performance expectations is so important in determining fairness.  Fairness" doesn't mean that everyone has the same reward package.  Differences between people's reward packages need to be clear and understandable.

The few important factors to consider in attaining fairness are:

make sure you give your team members the tools they need to be successful

make sure that they are attainable

providing the necessary support, tools, resources, and training

get to understand the challenges your team faces

appreciate the small victories that lead to the major accomplishments

 

Motivation is all about encouragement and appreciation.  This is a really important factor in successful recognition.  Your people may have all the expertise in the world, but if they're not motivated, it's unlikely that they'll achieve their true potential.  When people are motivated, work seems easy.  Motivated people have a positive outlook, they're excited about what they're doing, and they know that they're investing their time in something that's truly worthwhile.  In short, motivated people enjoy their jobs and perform well.