25 Sure-fire Ways To Motivate Your Team Members

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Of all the resources utilized during a project, the team working on the project is the most complex to manage. When motivated, your project team can take up Herculean tasks and not break a sweat but when things go wrong there is little saving the ship unless you find a way to change course in time. Motivation is a complex art, while the rule of the thumb is appreciation and reward, the same incentives do not work on all individuals.

1. Always start with yourself; to motivate others you have to be motivated yourself and should look for positives in all situations. As a role model, if you are energetic and inviting your team will have confidence in you and will follow willingly.

2. Share the information you have about the project and give them a sense of ownership. It is their project; they should know the circumstances and limitations surrounding the project. This can lead to team members coming up with good suggestions as well.

3. When you face a work related problem your team is your best resource, and one that can rise to the occasion if you manage to motivate them. Take your problems to them; discuss and look for ideas and ways out of trouble. Once they feel you are a part of the team it is easier to rev them up good.

4. While discipline is important, strive to keep your work environment as informal as possible. People usually work better without the boss breathing down their neck so push for deadlines but in a manner that makes it a team goal they can take pride in achieving instead of an order that precedes insults on failure.

5. Projects are divided into phases; a good PM motivates his team by pointing out the milestones within the project. Usually you can arrange for special celebrations upon reaching the milestones on time. Plan your work parties ahead of time, or plan them during work hours so the team can all gather around and enjoy instead of worrying about other commitments.

6. Always appreciate your team members, even the small tasks that result in the leader saying ‘thank you’ can make people strive harder for appreciation. While communicating, choose your words wisely; be humble, use words like we instead of I.

7. During evaluation do not try to pin the blame on anyone as it creates an environment of distrust. For a good team environment you have to make them believe it is a team accomplishment or team failure.

8. Provide feedback in a positive manner; give them what was done right, mention the shortcomings and how the team can do better. Be a part of the team when there is blame to take but end your feedback on a positive note.

9. Everyone eats, take individual team members out to lunch, discuss trivial things as well as work related matters and just let them enjoy the time. Its free lunch to them and your time is well spent because at the end of it you have established a relationship from which you get fresh ideas and a willing worker who knows he is valued.

10. Listen to your team members talk; give them your ear from time to time and really listen. This should be a ritual every few days to get their perspectives. You can get new ideas and things they say can help you improve your policies and even benefit your business.

11. When a team member comes to you with a problem be positive in your analysis, try to find a definite solution and back him to work it out, even if you have to roll up your sleeves and help. Earning respect with deeds goes further than words.

12. Always support your team, give them confidence and give them opportunities to fulfill your confidence. It is imperative that you tell them you are there to support them in case they are stuck.

13. Not everyone can handle every job. As a leader it is up to you to pick the right person for the right job because while an under confident member can gain loads from successfully achieving his goal, failure has a huge negative impact on morale.

14. Eating together can be a relationship builder, have team lunches where someone gives a work related presentation. You basically end up killing two birds with a single stone.

15. Let your team be creative. Your team’s productivity is likely to go up if you give them a day where they can try out their ideas, as long as it has something to do with the project at hand, let them enjoy themselves.

16. What do people work best for? Something they have stakes in, those can be monetary stakes and they can be emotional or personal attachments. If you instill a sense of ownership in the team they will take the team goals as their personal goals, you need not worry about the end product after that; it is going to be their best effort.

17. Give them something fun to look forward to. That can be some time off at a board game or you can have a bake off or something similar. It is good to pit the junior members against the seniors and let them enjoy the competition. Or you can have work parties, give people responsibility to arrange them and bring people out of their shells so they take up responsibilities as well. The whole program helps lighten the mood and you share something good to eat too.

18. Encouragement goes a long way within a team and individually. When someone does well, be generous in your praise. An email to recognize a good idea, a pat on the back for a quick delivery or praise in front of the team or senior management is an excellent way to tell them they are appreciated.

19. When you ask for ideas and input it is usually the shy team members that lag behind. Give them time as well as the opportunity to come forward and speak. Listen carefully and evaluate ideas on merit, make sure not to discourage anyone though; telling them off for a bad idea means they probably will not speak again.

20. During a discussion, if there is a point that needs clearing up find the time to clarify or ask for a clarification. Misunderstandings can lead to huge blunders and these can be detrimental to how you feel about your team members. Avoid conflict and resolve situations before they can damage the team morale, or that of individuals.

21. Spot the motivators within your team; there are individuals that put a spark in the atmosphere, they are active and they compel others to show the same energy without ever saying it. If you have a good motivator prioritize his career development plans so even if there is no room for vertical growth, he gets satisfaction from horizontal growth within the organization.

22. Brainstorming sessions produce some great ideas and when they are one on one they show your team members they are considered important. Along with importance should come responsibility so give them roles they can fulfill according to their capabilities and interests.

23. Divide the project into parts where you can give individuals smaller achievable goals. This gives them the freedom to do things their way while letting them gain in confidence as well as motivation to do the best they can.

24. Achievement of organizational goals should lead to benefits. These can be monetary benefits as well as packages that provide the team members, e.g. medical cover or something similarly advantageous.

25. Last but not the least, keep Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs in mind; not every individual has the same motivational needs and while a certain incentive would work for one team member it would not motivate the other and can even backfire. For instance, if a member is financially insecure he will value a raise more than anything else, but the same raise will not work on a financially secure member, he can be concentrating on job security or his own safety, therefore it is of utmost importance to get to know your team. Once you have worked out where they stand on the hierarchy of needs, you can work out the best motivational incentive for them. Macro-management does not pay the dividends.

(This list is inspired by the comments of an earlier post)

Photography by I’m a monster.

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65 Responses

  1. jaideep khanduja says:
    May 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    Hi, That is an excellent post. Each and every point in itself can be the title of a book. All points combined form the crux of guidelines for making a project successful. It is true that if you are able to harness your team, projects will be surely a success. And by harness I don’t mean that you have to be a ‘Hitler’. By being one of them, making them equal as you, being informal and a little parenting is what is required. Superb points… thanks//regds//jaideep

  3. Bas de Baar says:
    May 20, 2008 at 7:38 pm

    thanks for the nice words.

    @jaideep: well i would never let the team know they are getting “harnassed” :) “coached with some gentle persuation” perhaps. :)

  5. Raviprakash says:
    May 27, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    Thanks for the Exallent and Educative information.
    We need to implement these thoughts for being a
    successful PM. Plese Keep posted us with such valuable ideas.

  9. dina says:
    June 6, 2008 at 3:21 am

    I really took to heart the tips about eating together (#14, #9). Too many times I get stuck in the mindset that I’m too busy to share lunch with my co-workers in the office or better yet, go out to lunch with them. The last time I went out to lunch with the programmers was when it was a farewell lunch, and the joke was “you shoud quit so that Dina will go out to lunch with you.”
    So, I really like what you have to say and want to try to do it more.

  10. Bas says:
    June 6, 2008 at 8:16 am

    Hahaha, I absolutely know what you mean! And in the end, sharing the lunch provides relaxation, motivation and additional information… all those “-ations” you need as a PM.

    BTW you got yourself a new subscriber to your blog :)

  11. Ali Anani says:
    June 6, 2008 at 9:02 am

    A simple question for dina and all,

    Of the 25 points mentioned in the article, which ones would be most rewarding for lunch breaks? Within the boundaries stated by Bas that include relaxation, motivation and additional information then a question arises: how to balance formality with informality in these breakaway meetings?
    Thanks all for your enriching remarks.

  12. Raven Young says:
    June 14, 2008 at 7:10 pm

    Hi Bas – excellent tips! I referenced them at my employee engagement network page as they are all great ways to keeps your team interested, motivated and engaged.

  16. pkbj says:
    September 5, 2008 at 4:29 am

    Absolutely fantastic Bas, such words help a lot to emerging software developers to manage their team and work with them with a great sense of mind.
    Thank You.
    I suggest you to do post such tips n tracks and ideas in your blog.

  19. Oren says:
    October 5, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    great post.
    id add one cent though, and its up to caltural environment.
    a touch – when appreciating and feed backing, put a hand, gentle contact can add a lot.
    again, not at all times. need to sense the moment and context.

  20. Parth Barot says:
    October 6, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Truly said man…amazing post really.

    I liked it very much not because i am an employee but you said the truth.Its really a great job to keep the team as a ‘TEAM’!Most people are behaving in such a manner that team feels irritating and xTreme pressurized!

    regards.
    http://www.techlads.com

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  23. Kumar Sudhir says:
    November 17, 2008 at 7:03 am

    Its really a helpful information for the managers who do not understand how to manage and also for those who just want to be a manager in next time. Keep posting these type of information.

  28. dvansant says:
    February 6, 2009 at 1:54 am

    Most of these tips, if not all, apply to the leadership of any type of team. Thanks Bas, it may be time to add “Leadership Guru” to your title ;-)

  31. Janice says:
    March 4, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    It take a great skilled HR manager to conceive such a qualitative motivational program for the employees in active project teams. On the other hand you also need to make sure the team members respond well to all the stimulus. You don't necessarily need incentive programs to prove your employees good recognition but also you can ignore these programs for too long either, they have a role of their own.

  32. yoga dvd fan says:
    April 1, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    you forgot the yoga … so important to free up those tight psoas muscles that come from too much sitting and concentrating. Releasing the muscles around the low back and hips makes everyone lighter and happier.

  37. Saurabh Banerjee says:
    July 7, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    Bas,

    Thanks for the wonderful blog! I think Project Shrink is a wonderful initiative. I am now a regular listener of your podcasts. I even started a blog (http://agilekolkata.blogspot.com/) by getting inspired from your initiative.

    I lead a web development team in India. It would be great if you can do a presentation for my team over the web on any topic related to team work or software development. You can also talk about your book.

    regards,
    Saurabh

  39. rohit says:
    August 14, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    Comprehensive list of ways we can motivate team members!!
    I think google will be prime example what team members can achieve if we allocate separate time fow showing creativity by them..

  40. Yogendra Joshi says:
    October 7, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    Hi Bas,

    Thats a wonderful post ! I am from India and i have a strong desire to shake hands with you… I am still a senior software engineer and your posts generates in me a real confidence in me of how effectively a person can transform from one phase of job to another ! and i am sure learning your posts would be really helpful for me when i would certainly reach on being a PM someday !

    You rock !
    Yogendra.

  43. timir brahmbhatt says:
    November 7, 2009 at 10:39 am

    hello,
    always we have to encourage the team for finding the best solutions for the
    project. and have be there as a friendly nature,

    what you can say Bas..
    am i right

    thank
    Timir brahmbhatt
    T-soft IT Solutions

  45. Rudi says:
    December 11, 2009 at 7:07 am

    Well said. I find these tips very usefull. Have been in management for years and studied a bit of human resources, but these tips will help junior and especially senior managers.

  52. Robert says:
    May 4, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    Bas, thanks for this post. Right away I think you hit the nail on the head with #1…start with yourself. If you aren’t excited about the endeavor, if you are not focused, if your not prepared then how can you expect the team to be any of these things.

    You set the tone of your project.

    Great post, so excited to have added you to my blogroll…great posts!

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  58. Yuri says:
    February 22, 2011 at 10:54 pm

    Expansion on #14: In cultures where it’s acceptable (like Western World) and if the team culture allows it, having after-work debriefing sessions at a local pub or a bar is a great way to build a better cohesion within the team.

  59. FusionHost says:
    June 3, 2011 at 12:57 pm

    This is an awesome post Bas. A great checklist for anyone wanting to motivate their team members.

    I like the way you have started with saying you need to motivate yourself first. Not many people realize that they need to make personal changes first before trying to change anyone else.

    It’s always evident when someone has taken time to write a quality post and this is one of them.

  60. Bubu Tripathy says:
    August 22, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    SUMMARY:

    1. BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN PEOPLE, THEIR PROBLEMS AND ASPIRATIONS

    2. PRACTICE “MIRROR AND WINDOW” PRINCIPLE DILIGENTLY – “WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND ASK YOURSELF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY OR BETTER. WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT OPEN THE WINDOW AND LOOK WHOM TO GIVE CREDIT “.

    3. NEVER MISS A CHANCE TO APPRECIATE OR CELEBRATE. DO IT GENEROUSLY.

    • Bas says:
      August 25, 2011 at 10:36 am

      Hey Babu, thanks for the summary. Couldn’t have done it better myself :D And I love the “mirror and window” metaphor. I didn’t know that one, so thanks!

  62. Shiv B says:
    September 28, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    Im going for an interview tomorrow and doing some reseach to prepare myself for potential questions, this is a great article on motivation. Thank you.

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