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10 Ways to Inspire Your Team
March 27, 2008
By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP
Inspire. Just the word itself causes us to pause, think and become instantly motivated. But it's easy in business to become cynical when we're surrounded by "faux inspiration." I'm talking about corporate posters with motivational sayings that are easy to spoof when the actions of management don't reflect the glossy images and quotations.
Office inspiration, just like personal inspiration, comes from example. We may remember our own personal heroes like Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa or mentor who brought out the best in us and showed us the power one person can have. Albert Einstein once said: "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." So, that means we all have the power to inspire others by our actions. And you, as a manager, are in a prime position to inspire your team.
It's time to start inspiring your team. Here are 10 ways to get you started.
1. Have a clear goal with a reasonable approach to achieve it.
Shooting for stars may work for you when you're developing your personal goals, but when you're inspiring a team, people need to be able to clearly see how they are going to get from point A to point B and believe that it's possible.
2. Be enthusiastic about each person's contributions.
Remember how good it felt when a teacher recognized your contribution? You glowed all day and nearly flew home. It costs nothing to tell people how they're doing. Recognizing what they're doing well—and also giving ideas on how they can work even better—goes a long way.
3. Wear your blue hat and leave the black one at home.
You may have played the game where you wear different hats to assume different roles. The black hat dresses with the negatives and screams, "Everything's going wrong." This is the person who can kill idea generation in any meeting. When you're inspiring a team, wear the blue hat. See the possibility and opportunity in every challenge. Begin with what is working and then build on it.
4. Focus on the strengths of each person.
One of the biggest myths in business is to focus on weaknesses instead of building strengths. It's a backward way to approach problem solving—like fitting the proverbial square peg into the round hole. It's faster and more effective to focus on the strengths of your team members and develop them. Not only will you see results faster, you'll also have a happier team because people are doing what they're skilled at and contributing at their highest level.
5. Clear hurdles like a super hero.
How do you get your team to feel like rock stars? Think like Superman and clear any hurdles that are in their way. When you remove obstacles, you show your team that you've got their back.
6. Get the slackers off the team.
Nothing brings down a team like slackers. When people aren't pulling their weight, it lowers the standards of everyone and makes it seem like quality doesn't matter. When you remove people who aren't performing, it improves morale because it shows your team that you’re serious about the best results.
7. Roll up your sleeves.
When you work with the team in the areas where you can contribute, you send a strong message because you are showing that you are part of the team with your actions.
8. Acknowledge people's contributions every week.
Many managers make the mistake of recognizing people once a year. Recognition isn't a holiday. It should be a regular part of your team dynamic. Take the time every week to tell people how they've contributed to the team.
9. Be the model of accountability you want to drive through your team.
If you're telling people to be accountable while not meeting your own deadlines, it doesn't take too long for the eyes to roll. Keep your team inspired by keeping your commitments to them and meeting every milestone.
10. Show and communicate your progress.
Don't make the mistake of doing project updates only at milestones. Communicate the progress of the project every week to make sure you’re on track.
And inside every one of these steps, add one key ingredient: Fun. Whether it's a quick team-building exercise during a milestone meeting or an inside joke that has come to define your team, give people every reason to laugh out loud and let the sound of laughter inspire your team to be the best they can be.
The Know How Network is a monthly column written by Michelle LaBrosse, the founder and Chief Cheetah of Cheetah Learning. Michelle LaBrosse is an international expert on accelerated learning and Project Management. She has grown Cheetah Learning into the market leader for Project Management training and professional development. Michelle is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's Owner & President Management program for entrepreneurs, and is the author of Cheetah Project Management and Cheetah Negotiations.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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