Ten Ways Leadership Can Motivate Team Building and Performance

Managers, supervisors, and team leaders need to understand how communication and recognition can help motivate team members to have better attitudes and be more productive. There are many ways to motivate team members to build a better team and increase group and individual performance.

Presented for your consideration are ten possible ways for managers, supervisors, and leaders to motivate their team on a shoestring budget and resources that may not require top-level management approval. Most ideas can be implemented simply through a change in responsibility or the way the manager or leader communicates with the team and encourages the group to grow.

1. Be positive and set a good example for the team.
2. Share project and business information openly with the team.
3. Whenever possible, allow them to resolve their conflicts, but be prepared to resolve negative conflicts and bad situations before team morale is damaged.
4. Give feedback for improvement when needed in a positive and thoughtful way.
5. Show appreciation for the work they do by using different methods to reward the group and members.
6. If a team request or a member’s idea is not understood, ask for clarification or examples.
7. Actively listen to the team’s complaints, ideas and improvements.
8. Allow the team to evaluate their leader and suggest ideas for improvement to help them build respect, trust, and confidence in their leader.
9. Show confidence in the team by supporting their work and their needs.
10. Conduct regular team reviews with members on how the group is doing as a way to increase awareness of what is right and identify opportunities for improvement.

By selecting from these ten ways to motivate teams, the team leader, supervisor, or manager can implement a strategy to build the team and improve individual performance as well. All that is needed is to change the way the manager, supervisor or leader communicates and encourages the potential growth of the team, as well as the members accepting responsibility for their progress. The result should be better team member attitudes, better group behaviors, and increased work productivity.

NOTE: See also list of articles for “10 Ideas for Rewarding Teams and Members”, “Assessing Team Performance and Determining Training Needs”, “11 Responsibilities of Great Team Leaders and Sponsorship Managers” and “Give your teams the gift of productivity.” “