Hello, hello! If you celebrated, I hope you didn’t overindulge in chocolate Easter eggs. This week is inspired by some notes I came across from my book, The Sales Leaders Gameplan. I was thumbing through chapter called ‘Daily motivation builds momentum’, and of course, it got my mind rolling. Motivation moves from the leader to the staff, regardless of the product or service your company offers. In this week’s post I’ll get into two key principles of effective leadership motivation and share a few tips you can do, daily, weekly, and quarterly, to sustain it. I’ve already got my cup of coffee, let’s dive in!
Motivation and Leadership Energy
People are made up of energy and communication is really a transfer of energy. To keep your team motivated on a long-term, consistent basis, a leader must have a plan that involves that energy.
Many leaders fully grasp that motivation is necessary to keep their team in line, even the pirate captains of yore had to ensure there were no revolts on their ships. The challenge is maintaining motivation at a high-level day in, day out- which can feel like an impossible feat. We’re all humans, so we’ll have good days, ok days, bad days, and terrible days. As leaders, we’re still required to guide our team despite any internal or external challenges.
The challenge is that we are currently leading in uncertain times. When the focus shifts to the ‘tough economy’, it becomes even easier to ignore the real day-to-day obstacles. But the thing is, we can’t afford to drop the ball. Poor motivation means poor performance which yields poor results.
My suggestion? Instead of ignoring the real issues, challenge your team to recognize, overcome and be successful.
Two Key Leadership Motivational Principles
There are two very important principles that leaders need to commit to when it comes to motivation.
- Knowledge creates confidence, and when a person is confident, he or she is more motivated to take action: (Knowledge + Confidence = Motivation).
- A leader must turn the energy thermostat to HIGH!
Remember:
Everyone must understand the right energy will empower everybody to achieve more. Most people spend more time at work than at home, so work should be fun and motivating.
When it comes to maximizing your team’s motivation, your strategy should include daily weekly and quarterly plans. Let’s get into that a bit more.
Daily Team Motivation Strategy
This is so simple, but SO vital to staff motivation, it is often overlooked. As a leader, when you get to the office, walk around and talk to your staff, no matter their level before you log in and get lost in the day to day grind. Walking straight into your office gives the impression that there are better things you have to do with your time than extending a common curtesy to the team. While your plate may be tilting sideways, you still need your staff to be motivated so more is not added to your plate.
Weekly Team Motivation Strategy
Meetings are necessary, but nobody- and I mean NOBODY- likes a never-ending boring weekly meeting. Instead of droning on about the details of the company, take this opportunity to teach your team how to do their jobs better.
Focus on developing their soft skills, including leadership, customer service, communication, and sales. Pick a different topic each week and set targets tied to your discussion to motivate your staff for the week. This is also a good time to give kuddos out.
Quarterly Team Motivation Strategy
Quarterly meetings are the perfect space to move beyond soft skills and focus on all-team practice days. If you can, take it offsite and make it an event they look forward to attending. The goal is to create an environment for extreme learning experiences while having fun.
I can see you biting your bottom lip about the additional budgetary cost for things like this, but it is a huge mistake to assume it would be a waste of money. When you compare the cost of these offsite events – whether they are quarterly or semi-annually – to the cost of having complacent and unmotivated employees, it is a small price to pay.
Remember:
Your employees are one of your largest expenses, and the single largest contributor to your revenue. Don’t look at these events as an expense, but rather an investment in the company’s success.
It doesn’t need to be a five-star conference centre, it could be as simple as a trip to a favorite local hangout or even Retreat Ranch (hint hint).
Final Thoughts
Get in the trenches, talk with your teams, be energetic, positive and focused- and your team will do the same with your customers, ultimately ensuring your success.
