8 Ways to Inspire and Motivate your team to Peak Performance

Dealing with people is one of the important roles of a manager. If you want to be successful as a leader or manager the ability to inspire and motivate people to peak performance is the key. Here are 8 ways to get the most out of everyone in your team or organization.

Get to know the people – Everyone wants to feel important. The only way a leader can show they care is by taking an active interest in every person on the team. Get to know your people at a personal level by understanding their strengths and try to align their work accordingly. Once you build rapport with your team members a culture of positive engagement will follow.

Be an encourager – Constantly encourage everyone for the good work they are doing. Be a good finder. One of the jobs of a leader is to ensure everyone is inspired and motivated to give their best. There is a reason why a coach gives a pep talk before any game. It gives the team extra ammunition to give their best.

Regular meetings – Meetings are the fertile ground for the leader to ensure the entire team is heard. Weekly team meetings are a good start. Depending on the size of the team there should be a one on one individual session once in a month. Meetings are an excellent tool to keep everyone motivated and providing a platform for them to air their concerns as well. It is important to ensure that everyone’s input is sought during these meetings.

Set the example – Of course as a leader it is your responsibility to set the example for your team to follow.  The way you treat everyone is the way your team will treat their direct reports. Attitude is contagious so as a leader you want to set an amazing example of optimism which can radiate throughout the organization. Set an example by leading from the heart, taking calculated risks, treating people well, showing impeccable manners and finally sharing credit with the team always.

Set clear expectations– Unclear expectations are the hotbed for enormous discontent. As a leader you want to set clear expectations to your team on what is expected. Keep sure your team also gets a say in setting their objectives. Once there is a clear agreement on the objectives everyone works with full passion and enthusiasm.

Give regular feedback – Once the objectives are set there should be regular feedback. The feedback should always highlight things which are going well. Of course feedback should also show areas of improvement. As a leader you should also offer your support in helping the individual through any problems. Feedback can be both verbal and written based on the severity.

Provide education opportunities – The only thing that will not be obsolete is the ability to learn new skills. If you want to retain your team and prevent brain drain then it is imperative to keep developing the talents of your team. Provide them excellent education opportunities and keep showering them with articles, books and podcasts which can help them play a better game. The question should not be “What if we train them and leave.” The question should be “What if we don’t train them and they stay.”

Have a celebration routine – Finally if you want to keep your people happy there has to be some form of celebration. This should happen at the end of a milestone and any important events. Even having a simple celebration whenever anyone from your team has a birthday also is a great idea to keep your team motivated. The only way a team knows if it is winning is by celebrating victories. It is easier in sports but I still think it should be possible for us to do the same. If we do that often enough it will ensure that our teams will be energized, happy and committed to the larger cause.

There you have it the 8 ways you can get the best out of your people. The ultimate throttle on the growth of a company is the people so keep raising their inspiration and motivation levels. This will ensure a happy energized team always delivering great output.

 The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.