8 Tips To Inspire And Motivate Your Team

Is your company a fun place to work? Is your team excited and all bubbly about your business and its mission, or are you struggling to motivate your team?

You’ve probably worked for companies that didn’t light you up. You know how hard it is to do good work when you’re not motivated.

A lot of your team members are probably freelancers rather than employees. Freelancers tend to be self-motivators anyway since they’re their own bosses. Still, it doesn’t hurt to do everything you can to make your business an awesome place to work. Bonus tip: Systems help set the stage for success and your support team will appreciate this more than you know.

Hiring a team is one of the best things you can do to grow your business. It also presents some unique challenges and opportunities. I hope these tips help you set a strong foundation.

Share your goals

This helps your team (and you!) understand the big picture of your business. Your team might also have great ideas and insights that could help you reach your goals! Turn about is fair play. Ask them to share their goals with you, too.

Tell them what they’re doing well

Have you ever worked for someone who constantly pointed out what you did wrong, but never what yo

Communicate, communicate, communicate!

A team that doesn’t communicate is a team that doesn’t work well. Keep your team updated on your vision for the business, on what you need help with, and where you’re struggling and what you need from them. Make sure your expectations are crystal clear. You don’t need to micromanage, but you do need to tell them exactly what you’re looking for. There are a wide variety of tools that make this easy. Slack is a popular option. Here at The Entrepreneur’s Toolbox, we use Teamwork Chat.

A team that doesn’t communicate is a team that doesn’t work well. Keep your team updated on your vision for the business, on what you need help with, and where you’re struggling and what you need from them. Click To Tweet

Ask them for feedback

Your team spends a lot of time working on your business, so they probably have thoughts on how things are working. Ask for feedback on your communications, on the systems, on their area of the business and how things are working, and what they think could be improved.

Get to know them

Have regular team meetings, and remember that it’s okay to spend a chunk of that time just shooting the shit. It’s important to build camaraderie with your team so working together will be fun for everyone. Be interested in their lives and remember that they’re people with lives just like you. Know the names of their significant other and their kids. Get to know their hobbies and favorite movies.

I also like to assign my team personality quizzes like 16 personalities and Kolbe. It not only gives me insight into their personality and working style, it can give them insights into themselves and how they work.

Promote life/work balance

It’s important to me that my team is able to stay in their groove and that means taking some down time on a regular basis. Encourage your team to take days off (especially if you sense that they’re stressed), and don’t expect work to be completed on the weekends or late at night. There may be special projects from time to time, just make sure you discuss it ahead of time to make sure it works for everyone involved. Your team is probably made up of people who are just as busy and driven as you are, so make sure you all take steps back when necessary.

Recently I had a team member who was more than willing to do an impromptu meeting with me. When I found out her daughter’s birthday party was that afternoon, I quickly messaged her to reschedule. I appreciated her willingness and I also wanted her to be able to fully be present and enjoy the festivities and everything leading up to them.

Send goodies!

Everyone loves to get gifts sometimes! Think of your staff around the holidays, and make sure to find out their birthdays so you can send a little e-giftcard or even a small present in the mail. This is the long distance equivalent of leaving a birthday surprise on your coworker’s desk. Your staff works hard for you, so surprise them with little goodies sometimes!

Give them autonomy

Listen, no one likes to be micromanaged. Also, if your team members are virtual freelancers who set their own schedules, chances are they’re already self-starters. Give them a chance to make some decisions on their own and use their judgment when completing tasks. Consider giving them freedom in their corner of the business. When people feel responsible for something, they often become much more creative and invested in their work!

Feel free to implement any or all of these ideas to inspire your team and get them excited about what they’re doing!

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