Have you ever had one of those mornings when you wake up and just wish you could stay in bed all day? Don’t be ashamed. It happens to the best of us sometimes. While there are those who can snap themselves out of this funk, there are others–or even certain circumstances–when we need a motivational boost from an outside force. And, is there anyone more influential than your leader at work?
If you’re fortunate enough, you have a leader in your workplace who can be this inspirational force. If not, then perhaps you could pass along these five tips on how they could inspire you and your entire team.
- Share Your Vision With Each Team Member
Anush Kostanyan says in The Huffington Post, “If everyone is aware of the collective vision, which will lead to prosperity and success of each team member, motivation and enthusiasm becomes the indivisible parts of all activities.”
But, how exactly can you effectively communicate this shared vision to your diverse team?
Kelly Decker and Ben Decker suggest in the Harvard Business Review that there two things to keep in mind. The first is that you have to be able to tailor the message to your audience. For example, “Your team in IT has different needs than Susan’s team in marketing. Leaders are responsible for translating the same vision into different messages that their unique teams will respond to.”
The second is to “augment logical reasoning with an emotional appeal to inspire. That’s how you get buy-in, and how you shift the team’s response from ‘I have to,’ to ‘I want to.'”
- Provide Opportunities For Self-Development
“The members of your team will be more valuable to your organization, and to themselves, when they have opportunities to learn new skills,” says Peter Economy on Inc.com. Personal development, however, isn’t just limited to the workplace. It also includes habits and traits that your team can use in their personal lives.
If you’re stuck getting started on improving the personal development of your team, here are several of places to start;
- Have at least a yearly training session to keep your team updated on new techniques and to keep their skills sharp. Make sure that you allocate enough of your budget for training.
- Implement coaching or mentoring programs.
- Think about launching a job rotation or cross-training program.
- Encourage your team to develop learning goals.
- Focus on transferable skills.
- Start an office book exchange program.
- Signup your team for courses, workshops, webinars.
- Volunteer together.
- Roll Up Your Sleeves
Do you think that the most inspiring leaders are hiding in their offices all day? Absolutely not. They make themselves visible, roll up their sleeves, and join their team in completing tasks. Not only does this illustrate to your team that you’re a contributing member, it keeps you humble, and gives you a chance to see the various responsibilities that each team has – which not only teaches you something new, but also helps you earn more respect for your team.
Read the full version of this article from Inc.com
