{"id":1797,"date":"2015-11-24T14:25:21","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T14:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/?p=1797"},"modified":"2015-11-28T14:26:52","modified_gmt":"2015-11-28T14:26:52","slug":"8-ways-to-motivate-employees-into-an-unstoppable-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/8-ways-to-motivate-employees-into-an-unstoppable-team\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Motivate Employees Into an Unstoppable Team"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"articleHeader\">\n<h1 id=\"articleHeader__title\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/16x9\/822\/20150204225026-tom-brady.jpeg\" alt=\"8 Ways to Motivate Employees Into an Unstoppable Team\" \/><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<header>\n<div><a class=\"name\" href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/author\/jane-wesman\" rel=\"author\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hero lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/1x1\/124\/20151105150955-JaneWesman.jpeg\" alt=\"Jane Wesman\" data-original=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/1x1\/124\/20151105150955-JaneWesman.jpeg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div>JANE WESMAN<\/div>\n<div class=\"title\">CONTRIBUTOR<\/div>\n<div class=\"bio\">President of Jane Wesman Public Relations<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>Image credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/prod.images.patriots.clubs.nflcdn.com\/image-web\/NFL\/CDA\/data\/deployed\/prod\/PATRIOTS\/assets\/images\/imported\/NE\/photos\/clubimages\/2015\/02-February\/tempDSP_4569--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?\" target=\"_blank\">David Silverman | New England Patriots<\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><time>November 24, 2015<\/time><\/p>\n<div id=\"bd252548\">\n<p>Motivating employees and helping them do the best job possible takes time and experience.\u00a0But as\u00a0 a business owner, there is nothing more rewarding than helping other people &#8212; as well as yourself &#8212; work to their fullest potential.\u00a0The keys to being a good motivator are:\u00a0clear communication, training, and appreciation.\u00a0If you use the following tactics, you will become a better leader.<\/p>\n<h2>1. <strong>Communicate.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Make sure that your employees know exactly what you expect of them. Describe the job and your expectations before hiring, and then reiterate these expectations on a regular basis. With a new employee, this may be a daily necessity.\u00a0Later, it can be done less often.\u00a0Never be vague or generalize.\u00a0Always be direct.\u00a0Employees want to know exactly what you expect of them.<\/p>\n<h2>2. <strong>Train.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Take the time to train your employees in your methods and way of doing business.\u00a0Create a training process that is replicable.\u00a0 It may be time consuming at first, but it will pay off.\u00a0And be flexible.\u00a0No matter how long you think it will take to train someone, it often takes longer, even with experienced employees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/249244\" target=\"_blank\">&#8216;Gamified&#8217; Employee Training Works Brilliantly but Is Loved Little<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>3. Assume\u00a0<strong>people want to do a good job<\/strong>.<\/h2>\n<p>Nobody on your team is\u00a0making mistakes because they think it&#8217;s fun, want to spite you or make the company lose money.\u00a0I&#8217;ve seen entrepreneurs become livid over an employee\u2019s simple mistake, as if the employee did something wrong on purpose. Don&#8217;t take an employee&#8217;s mistakes personally.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Show\u00a0<strong>employees you appreciate their contributions<\/strong>.<\/h2>\n<p>Employees should feel that what they&#8217;re doing is important to you and makes a difference to the company.\u00a0This means everyone, including the person at the front desk, needs to know that the way he or she deals with people on the telephone, by email\u00a0or when they visit the office\u00a0is vital to\u00a0establishing a courteous and professional image for the company.\u00a0Everyone counts.<\/p>\n<h2>5. <strong>Create an efficient, attractive, comfortable\u00a0workplace<\/strong>.<\/h2>\n<p>Consider your employees\u2019 health, time\u00a0and happiness when buying furnishings and equipment.\u00a0Don&#8217;t skimp on what will make someone&#8217;s job easier, whether it\u2019s about replacing a copier machine or a computer.\u00a0Don\u2019t forget their comfort.\u00a0No one wants to work in a cold or stifling office. Make sure the heating and air conditioning work properly.<\/p>\n<p>Create an attractive workplace that gives employees a sense of pride.\u00a0I\u2019ve found that painting office walls bright colors, instead of boring gray or beige, increases energy levels. Buying attractive furniture, whether it\u2019s from IKEA or a top designer, gives employees a sense of pride. They tend to keep their workspaces neater and thus find it easier to be productive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/234922\" target=\"_blank\">How Much Is the Noise in Your Open Office Costing You?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>6. <strong>Banish fear.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Encourage employees to ask questions and make suggestions.\u00a0Listen to their ideas. Implement the ones that make sense, improve productivity, increase sales or add to a general sense of well-being in the work environment.\u00a0Make sure they feel comfortable telling you early on whether they are having problems getting the job done.\u00a0You want to have as much time as possible to work with them to find solutions.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Lead by The Golden Rule<\/h2>\n<p>If in doubt about how to treat an employee, ask yourself, &#8220;Is this the way I would like to be treated?&#8221;\u00a0Create the kind of workplace where you would like to work.\u00a0Sometimes that\u2019s difficult to do in today\u2019s fast-paced, constantly changing environment.\u00a0When the going gets rough, take a deep breath and a minute to reflect.\u00a0Put yourself in your employee\u2019s shoes.\u00a0Think about the bigger, long-term picture.\u00a0Treating your employees well is always the best option.<\/p>\n<h2>8. Share the excitement.<\/h2>\n<p>Let employees know when things are going well. Don&#8217;t keep them in the dark when there are problems. There&#8217;s no reason to notify them about every glitch or setback, but you can tell them when cash flow is tight\u00a0and you need their help keeping expenses down. Celebrate each meaningful success, even the small ones, with something as simple as ordering a couple of pizzas (or whatever your team likes to eat). Praise an employee publicly, so that everyone knows that you mean it.<\/p>\n<p>Sharing the excitement goes a long way to keeping employees engaged and happy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/250373\" target=\"_blank\">Celebrate the Little Successes as a Salve Against the Bruises of Entrepreneurship and Parenthood<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JANE WESMAN CONTRIBUTOR President of Jane Wesman Public Relations Image credit: David Silverman | New England Patriots November 24, 2015 Motivating employees and helping them do the best job possible takes time and experience.\u00a0But as\u00a0 a business owner, there is nothing more rewarding than helping other people &#8212; as well as yourself &#8212; work to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/8-ways-to-motivate-employees-into-an-unstoppable-team\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">8 Ways to Motivate Employees Into an Unstoppable Team<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","pmpro-has-access"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4MGMb-sZ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1798,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797\/revisions\/1798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}