Praise them
Always spend 10 minutes per day ‘catching someone do something right’. Make this a part of your daily routine.
Reward them
Use incentives, rewards and recognition to acknowledge a job well done. This might include time off, movie tickets, leaving early, bonus money, more responsibility, bottle of wine or praise.
Ask them
Find out what motivates each of your team. It is simple, just ask. Once you know what motivates each person place a note in their staff file so you can refer to it when you would like to recognise that individual.
Inform them
Keep your team up to date with company information, new clients, annual targets, customer complaints, and competitor information. Always ensure they are aware of positive and negative aspects that affect your business.
Meet with them
Conduct a weekly team meeting. It may be difficult get your whole team together so do this at least once a month. This will build your team; improve communication and generate new business ideas. Keep them up to date.
Allow them more responsibility
Increase responsibility in their tasks when they do well, allow them to relieve positions higher than their own when team members go on holidays, provide opportunities for them to learn new tasks and skills.
Review them
Make time every six months to sit down with each team member and review their progress against targets. Once a year set aside time to review their progress and document their achievement of goals, new development areas and targets and provide an overall summary of their performance. Create a positive environment for this to occur which might include conducting it outside the office.
Surprise them
Occasionally do something that makes them feel valued as team members. This might include taking morning tea for everyone, paying for pizza and drinks for lunch, leaving a chocolate or flower of each person’s desk, writing a handwritten thank you note or organising a guest speaker/celebrity for your team meeting.
Educate them
Provide opportunities internally and externally for them to expand their skills relating to work and life. This might include running training courses, funding their attendance at college or external courses or providing a buddy they can learn from within the business.
Communicate with them
The best way to keep your team motivated is to provide an environment where people feel important, valued and trusted by their boss. You can do this by talking with them each day, walking the floor and saying good morning, team meetings, six monthly reviews and over in the lunch room.
Your team is one of your most valuable assets, keep them motivated and the sky is the limit!
