Part of being an UnFranchise® Owner is working with and supporting other UnFranchise® Owners on a team. But what do you do when your team members have hit a low on the motivation scale? Telling them to “put some skates on it” and get going can seem like the right thing to say at the time, but it doesn’t get to the root of the problem. Here’s some tips for motivating your team members, regardless of where you are in your organization.
Talk about motivation – or lack there of
Without singling anyone out, have an open and honest discussion with your team members about their motivation. We have ALL felt lagging motivation at one point or another, so encourage them to share their stories about when they felt like they lost their motivation. Identify triggers; is it when they see others succeed while they’re still working their bum off and getting no results? Whatever it is, talk about it so it’s out in the open. Lack of motivation is easier to conquer when you feel like you’re not the only one dealing with it. Jot some notes down on a whiteboard during this exercise; this will act as a visual queue that will encourage others to contribute their thoughts and ideas.
Identify solutions
Continue your discussion with your team by asking them to share a time when they felt they were the most motivated. What was the driving factor? Or was it a combination of factors? Was it something that came from “inside”, or were they motivated by external influences, like team building exercises or training events? Most likely it will be a combination of both, so talk it out with them to identify patterns. Make sure to jot these ideas down on the whiteboard, too (hint: we like to put “lack of motivation” on one side and “when I felt the most motivated” on the other).
Implement short & long-term fixes to move toward individual & collective goals
When your team has come to a stopping point, that’s when you should switch gears and work together to figure out how to improve the overall motivation of your team. It’s important to include in the plan “personal tasks” as well as “group tasks” that will help your team members move toward their goals; doing this will put responsibility on each individual, as well as your team as a whole. Oftentimes, motivation can come from the simple fact of knowing that other people are supporting you and keeping you accountable for your actions. They don’t say “teamwork makes the dream work” for nothin’!
What are your tips for motivating your team? Post them in the comment section below!