The backbone of any company is teamwork and collaboration. As a company manager, you must be well aware of just how important it is that your team is cooperative and productive.
A motivated group of people possesses the right energy, skill, and knowledge needed to propel a business towards success. When the workload increases, you need every member to put in their best, and the best way to achieve this is to ensure that they are enthusiastic and excited.
There is a high risk of overworking your employees during crunch times, and you need to know just what measures to take to avoid this consequence.
Research proves that crunch times are more common today than before because technology has increased the pace of office work. This has major implications for bosses and managers.
Owners must ensure employee satisfaction and create a workspace that promotes productivity. The following ways will help you keep your team motivated regardless of the situation and workload:
1. Encourage Collaboration
Research suggests that 39% of employees report feeling that their input is unvalued and unappreciated. Involve your employees in day-to-day decision-making by asking questions, taking feedback, getting suggestions, and implementing their recommended solutions wherever possible.
Meetings are an effective way to encourage effective problem-solving to reach solutions to organizational challenges. If your office has sufficient space for hosting large-scale meetings, that is wonderful.
But even if you don’t, there is no need to worry. A meeting room rental is a lucrative option where all amenities regarding meetings and discussions are provided.
You can organize monthly presentations in such meeting rooms to review the situation and discuss problems without hassles.
2. Promote Positivity
The boss’ and managers’ energy reflects the employees in any company. It would help if you didn’t convey frustration, worry, or anxiety to be a confident guiding force.
One crucial way to promote positivity is to use positive communication that is personal, passionate, encouraging, and empowering.
When communicating details about a project, you should first figure out why it is important and beneficial and convey this to your team with enthusiasm and positivity.
Yes, a crunch time can be stressful for you but remember not to transmit any negative energy to your team as it can easily demoralize them.
3. Foster Healthy Work Relationships
It cannot be stressed enough that team collaboration is the driving force behind companies. A healthy organization fosters relations – between all levels of the hierarchy built on openness, honesty, mindfulness, mutual respect, and trust. Between members of the management, employees, stakeholders, and customers, good relationships motivate one to give their best.
Your relationship with your employees is one of the most important. Treat them with respect, offer support, ask them about their life, give advice, and understand their personal needs. Your personal people skills need to be well-tuned, and your emotional intelligence should be high to achieve this.
Occasional difficulties in workplace relationships are expected, but don’t let these conflicts take control and affect your overall workplace dynamics.
4. Give as Many Incentives as Possible
“One of the most important things to remember when it comes to motivating a team is that not everyone is motivated in the same way. Some people may be motivated by money, some by public recognition, and others by challenging work assignments,” according to Rebecca Gunter from HandStations. “This is why it is important to have a variety of incentives available to motivate your team. If you can find a way to motivate each individual team member, they will be more likely to work together as a unit and achieve common goals” she says.
Incentivising work is known to have a major impact on motivation. When you see a reward at the end of a difficult road, it is easy to overlook the difficulties and stay motivated to achieve the target. This way, you can encourage sustained engagement.
You can either promise extrinsic or intrinsic rewards as motivators. However, extrinsic rewards can have some drawbacks that you should look out for.
For instance, promising a day off to meet a deadline can lead the employee to compromise quality to attain the target (meet the deadline). It is better to use intrinsic motivators, like a promise of a wonderful development opportunity.
5. Be Approachable and Present
Your team needs someone to rely on in times of crisis, and if you stay behind closed doors, things will go downhill pretty quickly. During crunch time, your team must know that you are there if they need help.
Reach out to your team, ask them if they face any problems, keep up with their progress, and appreciate their efforts.
To be approachable to your team, leave your door open for employees to walk in, talk to them, don’t punish small failures, and don’t blame the messenger. Don’t give off a ‘do not disturb’ message that repels your team or encourages them to hide things.
If your employees see you as approachable, it will foster trust and openness, crucial elements in your team’s success.
6. Allow For Autonomous Decision Making
Letting your team members be autonomous doesn’t mean passively letting them take the reign in their hands or working without boundaries or supervision.
It means allowing them to work in an empowering environment where they can take the initiative, exercise control, and work in a way they feel most comfortable.
When they feel like they have a say in and control their work process, they will be more motivated and involved.
7. Break the Tasks Into Manageable Chunks
It’s easier to stay dedicated when you have short-term goals to look forward to rather than intimidating project completion.
Break down the work into smaller, more manageable targets, and take a moment to appreciate success when you achieve a goal. This would require greater planning and management on your end, so be prepared to schedule tasks in a way that you can meet the ultimate deadline.
When doing so, make sure that you set clear targets for your employees. A study revealed that 63% of employees were unclear about priority tasks and wasted time at work.
8. Don’t Micromanage
A boss who constantly looks over their team’s shoulders and monitors every detail down to the T is never appreciated.
In line with the guideline to let members have autonomy, you should provide them with goals and then leave them to their devices. Let them figure out the rest themselves unless they ask for or need guidance.
Final Words
Managing a team requires skill, knowledge, and strategy. Keeping your team motivated during crunch times is challenging when they are likely to be overburdened.
Effective team leadership requires that you promote team collaboration, create an atmosphere of positivity, foster healthy relations, give your team autonomy, and be available. By doing so, you will be able to pull your team through any rough patch with success.
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