The One Thing You Need to Know about Team Motivation

by: Alan Fairweather




Let me ask you a simple question. Do you, as a manager, want a highly motivated team who don't take time off work, who achieve their goals and objectives, and don't stress you out in the process? I'm sure the answer is - Yes! However, you're no doubt asking how you're supposed to achieve this 'miracle.'

The one thing you need to know about team motivation is that - there's no such thing! Okay, so the football manager 'motivates' the team by getting them together at half-time and 'explaining' how they're about to lose the game unless they start to play a lot better. (This, of course, is the polite version)

However, the only way to build a highly motivated team is to concentrate on individual motivation and create an environment where the individual 'motivates them self.' Every member of your team is a complex and complicated human being and they all have different needs. Your job, as a Motivational Manager, is to find out what these needs are, and satisfy them.

There are 3 actions you can take

1. Spend some quality time with each team member - One or two minutes of quality time on a regular basis is far more productive than an appraisal once a year. You need to get to know the individual better and they need to get to know you. You'll gain a much better understanding of them and how they're handling the job. It will also send the message that you care about them and show that you're there to help with problems, both personal and business.

2. Give feedback and coach them - You need to regularly tell each of your team members when they're doing well and when not so well.

This is where so many employers and managers fall down in dealing with their people; they're hopeless at giving feedback! Many managers are uncomfortable telling staff how they feel about their work performance. Some managers still believe - "Why should I praise people when they're only doing what they're paid to do!"

However, most employees want to know how they are performing in their job; they want to know if they are doing it right or how they could do it better.

If you really want to motivate your team members then you need to 'catch them doing something right' and tell them about it. If, on the other hand, you hear or observe them doing something you're not happy about, then you need to tell them what needs improved and coach them.

It's important to tell the team member when they're not performing. There are too many managers who either ignore poor behaviour or come down on the person like a ton of bricks. There are particular ways to give feedback and coach and they're described in detail in my book - How to be a Motivational Manager.

3. Be a believer - You need to constantly demonstrate to the team member that you trust and believe in them, by what you say, your tone of voice and your body language.

They will very quickly sense if you don't trust them to carry out their job and they'll act accordingly.

If you believe that your people are not to be trusted to do their job; that they'll turn up late and go home early, then that is exactly what they'll do.

On the other hand, if you believe that your people will do their job well, that they can be trusted to make decisions that are good for the business and that they'll give you a fair day's work, then it is more likely this is what you'll get.

As with all theories, there is no guarantee that this will work every time. However the majority of people in this world are reasonable people; if you treat them as such they're more likely to behave in a positive manner.

So there you have it; Motivational Managers know that to get the best out of their people they need to concentrate on the human interactions and make that emotional connection with each individual team member.



About The Author
Alan Fairweather, 'The Motivation Doctor,' International Business Speaker, Author and Sales Growth Expert. For the past fifteen years, he's been turning 'adequate' managers, sales and customer service people into consistent top performers.

He is the author of - 'How to be a Motivational Manager' A down-to-earth guide for managers and team leaders. To receive your free newsletter and free ebooks, visit: http://www.themotivationdoctor.com

The Truth About Low Self Esteem

by: Amy Twain




It is very essential for an individual to have a healthy self esteem in order to live a successful and happy life—both on a personal level and professional level. Self-esteem refers to the amount or dose of realistic respect that you possess for yourself. Individuals with a healthy dose of sense of worth realize that they deserve the good and best thing in their lives while those who suffer from low self esteem feel that they truly deserve all the bad things that happen in their lives. Individuals who have low self esteem always have a more difficult time living a successful and happy life.

Nevertheless, every one of us is responsible for our own sense of worth and can take action and seek help to improve their confidence thereby to improve their lives also. How do you spot the signs of having low self esteem? People with low self esteem have a poor track record in work or in school. They are poor risk takers and poor problem solvers. Mostly, people with poor confidence always require the approval of those around them. They often face the day with numerous fears, the common one being in constant fear of being rejected by some people. They oftentimes possess some irrational beliefs and may tend to think irrationally in some situations.

These people are mostly feeling nervous, anxious and insecure and sometimes may overreact with anger and resentment if they feel someone does not accept them. Most significantly, an individual with low self esteem does not feel worthy at all of giving or receiving love, compassion and nurturing. They may blame other people because they don’t take the necessary responsibilities for their actions. So how about the signs of somebody who have a healthy self esteem? People who have a healthy dose of sense of worth could state clearly who they are, what they’re committed to and where they are heading in their life.

They are concerned with the welfare of other people and they are not self centered. They readily accept their duties and responsibilities and the consequences of their actions rather than making up excuses or blaming others. They are creative, proactive and productive, goal-oriented and optimistic. And most importantly, an individual with a healthy confidence fully understands that he/she is deserving of being loved and being cared for as well as worthy of caring and loving others. An individual’s confidence develops throughout life. Childhood experiences may play a key role in establishing whether a person has a low or healthy self esteem.

Therefore, children who grew up with a low self esteem may often experience being severely criticized no matter how hard they try, yelled at or even beaten, they are often teased, ridiculed or ignored by their peers or by those in authoritarian roles, they often experience failure in school or in sports and made to feel that these failures mean that they are failures, and some of their parents might expect them to be perfect all the time. Low self esteem could affect both your physical and mental health. If you discover you suffer from this, you should find options that will help you on improving your sense of worth which will in turn improve your quality of life.