Lay a Foundation

You are more likely to gain people’s cooperation if you have a good relationship with them. Look for opportunities to establish mutual interests and respect. Offer people support when they need it, and they will then be more likely to respond favorably to your requests for cooperation. When you talk, pay attention to nonverbal behavior. Invest time and care in your relationships with team members and colleagues.

Always aim to engage people’s interest. When you give a team member a new task or an additional responsibility, give the details of the whole project to increase a sense of involvement. Knowing the big picture motivates people because they can see how their contribution will support a successful outcome.

People are motivated to do what they like doing. They may not, however, be motivated to do what you want them to do. Discover people’s values by asking what’s important to them. Stay away from personal questions and focus on career and workplace satisfaction.

Get Everyone Involved

Participating in decision-making motivates people. When you talk to a co-worker or team member about how a job could be done, view it as an exercise in joint problem solving. Explore different approaches and brainstorm about how to achieve a workable agreement. Once you have agreed on a goal, let your colleague have some influence over the process to assure commitment to the outcome.

Discuss mutual goals with team members and how they can be achieved together. When people feel that their input is valued, they will be more motivated.

• Talk about team goals in terms of what needs to be achieved and how
• Identify individual goals and discuss how they can help and be helped by the team’s goals
• Work as a group to align individual and team goals, encouraging everyone to give their input
• Cement people’s interest by emphasizing what they stand to gain.

Adjust to the Team

Adjust your leadership method to the type of team you’re managing. A team that’s having trouble achieving results needs someone who will first re-evaluate the goals and then determine how authoritative to be to set a clear direction and motivate the team to achieve its goals.

A team with a lot of strong-minded members needs a leader who can moderate discussions while a team in conflict needs a leader who can re-establish good relationships. Of course, leaders who can combine all the necessary skills are likely to be most influential in the long run.

Getting people to work together as a team isn’t easy. Your best chance is to define a common purpose that everyone can believe in. This could be high standards, recognition of good work, a community idea, or mutual growth. Whatever it is, it has to be something people are willing to give up their time and effort to have. Look carefully at the team’s function – what is its purpose? What would it mean for it to do well? Then you will be in a position to outline these values to the team.

Handle Diversity

Your team members will differ in their interests, needs, ages, motivations and cultural backgrounds. Your job is to motivate them to work for themselves and for the team.

Once you’ve defined the team’s purpose and goals, discuss how each member can contribute. Establish what each person likes to do and most wants to achieve, then provide as many opportunities as possible for these goals to be achieved without losing sight of the overall project goal.

Planning Action

Influence your team’s capacity for creativity and ability to process constructive criticism. Direct discussions in a structured way so that you can work together to find solutions and form reasonable action plans.

Make It So

Sometimes it’s not enough just to want to do a task. People need to know how to do it and then get the chance to put their plans into action. Give your team the best chance of success by providing the necessary authority, budget, training and support. If time is an issue, work with them to change priorities, reassign tasks and improve time management. When they’re successful, you’re successful and they’ll appreciate the effort you made on their behalf.