Many managers are accustomed to motivating their employees with promotions, perks, or incentive speeches about outstanding future achievements. And if those don’t work, other methods are underway, including control of working hours, micromanagement, and constant criticism.
But in reality, none of these approaches truly motivates people to do their jobs more efficiently in the long run. These methods simply don’t appeal to people’s inner needs.
But there’s a way you can actually boost your team’s motivation. And that is a sincere appreciation of your team. From this article, you will learn how it works, how to express your gratitude in practice, and how the Headway app’s corporate program can help.
The Headway app provides fun and easy growth. Its mission is to support, motivate, and provide every person on Earth with an enjoyable and accessible way to grow. The corporate program Headway for Business is a great way to care for your team, boost their motivation, empower and get insights into their learning interests.
How does motivation work?
Motivation is a strong desire to do something or engage in specific behavior. A psychological or physical need drives it.
There are two types of motivation — extrinsic and intrinsic. What is the difference? Extrinsic motivation comes from reward and punishment. Raising a salary or the threat of firing for underperforming at work are examples of external motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is based on our personal needs like appreciation, recognition, validation, sense of influence, power, and relatedness. This type of employee motivation is followed by engagement, a feeling of satisfaction, and even passion.
In other words, external motivation is what you need to do, and internal motivation is what you want to do.
It is a great mistake to use only external motivation at work
External motivation is mainly effective for short periods and quite impotent over the long term. Why? Motivation vanishes as soon as the reward or punishment disappears or becomes insignificant for a person, the motivation vanishes.
For example, a salary raise can encourage your employees to work harder and stay in the company longer. Still, if money is the only reason that employees stay, they will resign as soon as they get a better offer.
How to appeal to employees’ inner motivation?
As internal motivation refers to our fundamental psychological needs, the mission is to create conditions for employees that would help to meet them. An essential thing you can do as a manager is to appreciate your employees in both words and actions. How to do it? Here are three ideas that you can apply to your team.
1. Don’t forget to praise your employees
Any manager has to give constructive feedback to their employees, either positive feedback or negative. But in practice, some managers take well-done jobs for granted and pay attention only to failures. This huge mistake results in an employee’s feeling that their work is underappreciated.
Research shows that the perfect praise-to-criticism ratio is 5 positive comments to 1 negative. It’s not an unbreakable rule, but focusing even on your employees’ small achievements will boost their motivation to do their best.
2. Take care of people
Praising without genuine care might look like hypocrisy. To avoid it, make sure you do everything to create an appropriate work environment for your team. Invite people for a private talk about their job satisfaction, work-life balance, and desirable professional development. And don’t forget to check in with your employees on how you can help them do their job better. If there are any issues you can solve, be ready to implement changes.
When people notice the manager’s care, they feel more valuable to the company and hence, more motivated.
3. Help people grow
Nothing inspires people more than new knowledge. It helps them become better professionals, enhances skills, and allows them to feel their growth. So, try to make constant learning an essential part of working in your company.
Don’t know where to start? Try the Headway app for fun and easy learning. It inspires people toward that new knowledge that entertains with such topics as Productivity, Happiness. Self-Growth, Business & Career, Leadership, Money & Investments, Health, and Negotiation.
We’ve launched the corporate program, Headway for Business, to help companies offer their employees a personalized learning experience and gain analysis out of it.
Whether your team members want to boost specific skills following personal growth plans, dive deeper into a topic, or just switch from daily tasks to get inspired and come up with new ideas, the Headway app will be a valuable tool.
As a manager, you will get insights into your employees’ learning milestones and interests, analysis, and unique content collections on topics that best suit your company’s goal. Therefore, the Headway app will not only help you encourage your employees to grow professionally and feel happy but will also be a massive benefit for your company.
FAQ
What are the most effective ways to inspire your team and improve team performance?
To inspire your team and enhance performance, it is crucial to set clear goals and prioritize effective communication. Team-building activities are essential for fostering camaraderie and a strong team feel, while regular team meetings ensure that everyone stays aligned with the team goals. Employing a supportive management style and strong leadership skills can significantly boost employee engagement and retention. Mentoring and coaching programs help team members discover new skills, providing a sense of purpose and motivation to deliver their best work.
How can a team leader prevent burnout and promote well-being within the team?
Preventing burnout and promoting well-being involves creating flexible schedules and prioritizing the health and happiness of team members. A motivated team thrives in an environment that values hard work while maintaining a balance through supportive practices. Open communication is key to addressing any issues of poor performance and fostering a culture of teamwork. By setting measurable and attainable team goals, providing mentoring opportunities, and encouraging a leadership style that emphasizes empathy and understanding, team leaders can cultivate a thriving, engaged, and high-performing team.
