What does it really mean to have a motivated team? Is it about passion? Is it about teamwork? Is it purely about productivity? The truth is, it’s a combination of all these factors that creates a strong and highly motivated team. If you’re lacking examples of how to kick start your team, why not analyse top performing sports teams? They provide excellent inspiration; without teamwork, sportsmanship, passion, productivity and a drive to succeed, they’d have no success at all. Here’s a lesson or two you can learn from them:
1. Look at the bigger picture
When it comes to sports teams motivation, it’s not just about individuals succeeding, but more of a bigger picture thing, looking at the legacy that you could leave in the team and the impact the team has as a whole. The same can be said for working in a business setting. If employees understand the true impact they’re having on the business as a whole, this can act as a motivator for them personally. Letting employees know the impact they’re having on the business can boost productivity hugely.
People say look at the bigger picture, so I gave it a shot pic.twitter.com/6IkXcNLbP7
— Cain Britton (@CainBritton) June 17, 2016
2. Celebrate small successes, both individual and team
Celebrating successes works, because it shows the team you appreciate the hard work that they put in to the success of the team (or company). If a certain employee has done very well, make sure you reward them and let them know how much you appreciate them. Just a simple ‘thank you’ can be the boost in motivation they need. If the whole team work together and create something great, it’s important to reward them as a whole.
Make time in life to celebrate all your successes, whether it’s big or small. pic.twitter.com/AHXytYzCoG
— John Lawson (@ColderICE) June 17, 2016
3. Set tangible goals
A simple yet very effective method of motivation is setting tangible goals. They can be small goals or large ones – no matter the size they give employees/team members something to work towards.
https://twitter.com/KennethWorles/status/744066226045992962
4. Have open communication lines
To be a good boss, you need to listen to your employees. Listening to your team can be the winning factor when it comes to a motivated team and a productive workforce. For this reason, it’s important to schedule regular one on one meetings with your employees just to talk about their progress and how they are going to advance in the future.
https://twitter.com/ExecConsultant/status/743089928016302086
5. Lead by example
If the boss is terrible at teamwork and is bored of his job, you can almost guarantee the rest of the team will be the same. If you want your employees/team to go the extra mile for the business, you should show them that you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, too.
The challenge is not just to lead, but to LEAD BY EXAMPLE #leadership
— Sara AlSayegh (@SaraASayegh) June 20, 2016
6. Fresh faces create fresh minds
Some big sports teams invite new coaches in to do introductory sessions with the teams – not only does this teach the teams new techniques for their games/matches, but it also shows that you want to invest time and money in improving the members of the team. It’s also pretty interesting learning from someone new!
Dick's Sporting Goods invited motivational speaker #EricThomas to speak with TEAM USA Olympic and Paralympic… https://t.co/kshmGpGlZj
— Coach_Sween (@CoachSween1) May 24, 2016
7. Encourage team unity
Ultimately, the strength of a team is created from the people who are in it, working together to achieve an end goal. If your team are not working well together, you can guarantee that the team aren’t being as productive as they could be. Encouraging every member of the team to speak up is a good way to get them working together.
Together we can achieve the best results, that,s why in CREST, we encourage teamwork and union of our employees.
— Americas Business Services (ABS) (@LH_ABS) June 17, 2016
Main image credit: Shutterstock
