When you start a company and build it up from nothing, it can be easy for you to be motivated to continue its growth. Of course, you want it to succeed—it’s your business baby! But for employees who haven’t been on that journey from the start, it can be harder to motivate behavior change in them.
Leading a team comes with its own challenges. There may be times when productivity wanes, or team members start cutting corners. A great leader empowers and inspires their team—which is easier said than done. Let’s explore four tips to help you drive change in your employees’ behaviors and actions.
1. Communicate Your Vision
You may find a lag in productivity and in reaching team goals when your team doesn’t understand the why behind the goals. When you clearly communicate your vision, your employees have a better understanding of the reasons behind certain initiatives, and are more likely to buy into that vision and be motivated to help you reach those goals.
In order to effectively carry out your vision, you need to be able to inspire the best out of your team. Is there a greater purpose to your products or services? Employees are more likely to work harder when they can see an obvious impact of their work on the world.
2. Demonstrate Trust in Your Team
You’ve built a solid team around you of talented people. How do you keep them motivated as you grow your company? By demonstrating trust in them and showing them how much you value their contributions! Your job as a leader is to empower your team. Give them the space to make decisions that impact the company positively. Trust that if things go wrong, they will hold themselves accountable, and be an example of that by holding yourself accountable as well.
If employees feel like you don’t trust them or that you’ll just redo everything they’ve done, they will have no incentive to change their behavior. Trust is a two-way street, and by demonstrating trust in your team, you’ll build their trust in you as their leader.
3. Take Time to Understand Individuals on Your Team
In order to motivate behavior change, you have to first figure out what motivates each team member. Each person is different—one person may be motivated by overcoming challenges, another may be motivated by verbal praise, and someone else might be motivated by money. Spend the time to get to know your team and understand what their own goals, values, and aspirations are. The best way to inspire change is to figure out how to align your team’s goals with your own. Give each team member the tools they need, so you as a collective team can reach your goals together.
Not only are each individual’s goals different, but they may be motivated, or unmotivated, by certain styles of leadership. Instead of leading with fear, give your team the space to fail and offer support when needed. There may be some people who need more micromanagement, while others thrive when given more independence. Take the time to connect with your employees on an individual level, so you can better motivate them to make the changes you want to see.
4. Highlight Your Team’s Accomplishments
If an employee does something great and it doesn’t get recognized, why would they continue to work harder? The simple act of acknowledging the work that your employees do, especially when they go above and beyond, is a great way to motivate even more behavior change.
Highlighting your team’s accomplishments also creates a positive feedback loop. When you recognize your employee going above and beyond, they’re more likely to continue to perform at a higher level if that praise is reinforcing.
Having an actual program for recognizing your employees’ achievements is a great way to retain talent. When you create a system for what happens when an employee or team member reaches their goals, they have a clear vision of what needs to be done for that to happen. Maybe it’s a bonus, or an extra vacation day, or whatever it is that motivates that particular employee. Either way, if you make both expectations and rewards clear, there is a higher chance you can motivate positive behavior change.
Motivating behavior change is a bigger part of being a great leader than you may think. It’s tough to build a business alone, and having a team whose strengths complement yours is invaluable. Maybe you have no idea how to motivate your team. The solution? Just ask. Get to know your team on a personal level. You can even ask them directly what motivates them. Once you understand what makes each person tick, provide coaching, and feedback, and then give them space to take steps towards their clearly defined goals. Changing behavior isn’t something that can be forced—but by following these four tips, you can create greater motivation around behavior change for your team.
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