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Wondering How to Get Your Team Motivated? Here Are 5 Helpful Tips

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |how to get your team motivated|Wondering How to Get Your Team Motivated? Here Are 5 Helpful TipsFor some people, motivation is a difficult thing to possess on the job. As a business owner or manager, there will be many times that you need to get your team motivated.

Getting your team ready and motivated to work together is a skill you can learn and practice along the way.
Keep reading for our five tips on how to get your team motivated.

1. Set Goals and Celebrate Them

One of the best ways to get your team motivated is to set goals and have a way to celebrate them. Have a meeting with your team and see what your big goals should be. You can then come up with a reward for reaching these goals as well whether it is a personal reward or something that they all get at the end of a quarter.

OKRs are a great way to set goals and track them along the way. They can help you to figure out what your objective is as well as the key results. This is an awesome program you can use in many different areas of your business.

2. Lead By Example

As a business owner, all eyes will be on you so make sure you’re leading by example. This means that you should do your best to promote productivity and happiness in the workplace. When your team sees that you’re a motivated and productive boss, then they will be more likely to be motivated as well.

You also need to come into work every day with a smile on your face even if you don’t feel like smiling. No one likes to be around a negative Nancy so try and make aspects of your day good. Even when there are downfalls in business you need to try and put a positive spin on them so your team doesn’t get bogged down by the negatives.

3. Good Communication

Another way to get your team motivated is to communicate with them and see what they need. Good communication comes from both ends so as a business owner you need to make sure that your team knows you’re willing to communicate with them.

Sit down in a small group or one on one and ask your employees what they need to stay productive and do their job well. It could be that they need an extra day off for some self-care, or maybe they feel like they aren’t getting paid enough. Do your best to try and fix any issues that they have.

4. Recognize Your Team

As we mentioned earlier you can’t focus on the negatives so make sure that when someone does something good on the job you recognize them for it. This could mean just saying ‘thank you’ in person to recognizing them for their hard work in a meeting.

One of the best ways to get people motivated is to appreciate them for the work that they’re already doing. When employees know that they’re appreciated for the work they do, then they will want to continue doing as best as they possibly can.

5. Don’t Micromanage

As a business owner, you may be more tempted to micromanage your team but this is the worst way to get them motivated. You have hired each of your employees based on their skills so you should know that they can do the job.
Try to take a backseat when it comes to big projects that your team is completing. If they ask for your help, then you’re more than welcome to assist but try not to butt in when not needed.

How to Get Your Team Motivated

When it comes to figuring out how to get your team motivated there are going to be a lot of trial and error. You will just need to figure out what works best for your team when it is time to get them motivated.
If you’re interested in learning more business strategy, then sign up for our newsletter for more advice.

5 Leadership Traits You Didn’t Need 50 Years Ago

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StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article |Leadership|5 Leadership Traits You Didn’t Need 50 Years AgoThe role of a leader is always evolving, so it makes sense that the traits of a modern-day leader may be different from the leaders of half a century ago.

Of course, some traits have remained pretty consistent throughout the years, such as being a role model and having strong communication skills.

The following are some of the leadership traits that are important now that might not have been in the past.

1. An Ear for Employees

Perhaps one of the most drastic differences between modern-day leaders and leaders from the past is that today’s leaders are interested in what employees want and need.

50 years ago, managers simply had to be charismatic enough to bark orders at their employees to get the job done.
The goal was always to satisfy the company’s owner without paying too much attention to the employees. Leaders weren’t too interested in complaints, concerns, and feedback from their employees. That kind of leader will not work with today’s empowered workforce and may even be counterproductive.

Today’s managers encourage employees to express their points of view and discuss or bring up tough issues.
Leaders in the past would not talk about mistakes, but today’s managers are expected to highlight mistakes along with employees so that everyone can learn from them.

2. Ability to Change

CEOs, managers, and any other type of leader of today cannot be the kind of person who sticks to what works but rather a person who can change at a moment’s notice. The reason today’s authority figures cannot stay stagnant deals with the nature of modern-day business.

The internet has been creating all sorts of changes that affect business almost at lightning speed. A new internet-based concept could cause a chain of events that could break a company that refuses to change with the times.

Take video streaming, which basically has defeated regular DVD rentals and is taking a serious bite out of the entire movie-making business. Leaders in the past were taught not to rock the boat too much because it could disrupt a well-oiled machine, but that kind of leadership could sink companies today.

3. A Reflective Spirit

Another thing that is unique about today’s authority figures is their ability to be reflective. This sense of self-awareness is unique to modern-day leaders, and it helps them improve their leadership skills and work on weaknesses.

This skill also allows modern-day directors to hire employees that will actually complement them by looking for individuals that are strong where they are weak.

Leaders from the past were not too concerned about finding individuals who might help them become better because that kind of collaboration simply did not exist back then.

StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article |Leadership|5 Leadership Traits You Didn’t Need 50 Years Ago4. Aware of the People’s Heart

Generation X and Y employees are a different kind of workforce. These individuals know how important they are to companies and use that as leverage to get what they want.

This workforce does not mind jumping from job to job and a workforce that values experience more than pay.
A leader from the past might just alienate today’s employees so much that it might be hard to fill certain positions.

This is the reason contemporary authority figures need to be able to keep employees happy by listening to them and finding ways to create a good corporate culture.

Company culture actually helps keep employees in their positions and helps employees feel more invested in their positions, which increases productivity.

One way modern leaders do this is by rewarding the entire team instead of individual efforts, which makes employees collaborate better rather than compete with each other.

5. A Focus on Diversity

Another trait that is quite important for modern overseers is the ability to connect with all sorts of workers. The new age workforce is filled with all sorts of people as the country continues to become more diverse.

Being sensitive to all the cultural differences is important in order to make individuals feel welcomed and to respect other people’s customs. This is a trait that simply was not too important in the past.

Yesterday’s authority figures barely communicated with their workforce; the only thing that was important was getting the job done.

Leaders back in the day could have been offensive, yet they might have still been valued by their employers.
Well, new age authority figures definitely need to be more sensitive because failing to do so could not only alienate employees but could also put the company at risk of lawsuits.

The 3 Most Important Responsibilities of a Manager

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StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article |Responsibilities of Manager |The 3 Most Important Responsibilities of a ManagerWhen starting out in their careers, many employees will want to ascend their company’s hierarchy with the aim of taking on more managerial roles in the future. However, to become an effective leader, there are a number of elements that you need to consider in order to both lead your employees and run the business to its maximum potential.

Business Growth

As a manager, you will be expected to focus on the best ways to improve the business and make large profits during your tenure by finding new ways to increase your margins. One of the best ways that you can do this as a manager is to cut the running costs of the business. There are many ways to do this in the steed of the business owner, and these include suggesting that you switch energy suppliers to cut down on your energy bills. If this sounds like the best option for your workplace, Utility Bidder allows you to compare business energy prices from multiple companies to find the right provider for your workplace.

You can also encourage business growth by managing the marketing team and finding new ways to boost sales. This can include holding competitions and promotional deals if you have a retail store, or utilizing social media and SEO to improve your digital marketing technique.

You can also make the business more efficient by replacing old machinery and equipment and by looking into the best modern machinery and technological office supplies.

How to Lead Employees

The most important role that you will have is to manage the employees under your leadership in an efficient way. There are many ways that you can boost employee productivity in a positive manner, and this includes methods such as offering rewards schemes and incentives such as pay rises, which you can agree with the business owner, and offering regular praise to employees. You can also help to boost morale by organizing payrolls and employee holidays efficiently, as well as making sure that there are always enough staff members to run the business efficiently on any one day.

You should also offer employees regular training days to ensure that they are able to hone their skills during their tenure and be reminded of some of the key processes of your business. It is also important that you are able to lead your employees by dealing with any problems. You can do this by holding an annual review meeting for every employee where you can discuss these issues and set targets for the future, which they will be able to work towards.

However, you should always remember to delegate responsibility to employees to make them feel valued and ensure that there is only a limited amount of pressure placed upon yourself.

Communication With Clientele

As a manager, you will also be on the frontline between your workforce and your customers, and so it is important that you are able to have customer communication techniques in place to help you deal with any issues. For instance, it is vital that you ensure that customers return to the business, and you can do this by sorting problems by offering promotions and discounts, as well as feedback and good complaints methods, to those who have had issues with your business.

You should also communicate with clients by using social media and e-mail marketing to tell clients new information about the business and make sure that they are aware of any offers that may be available.

4 Business Skills to Improve in 2019

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Business Skills|4 Business Skills to Improve in 2019Most entrepreneurs and business professionals understand that to truly thrive within business, they must have valuable business skills. It’s important to know the importance of investing in yourself when it comes to growing your business. When it’s your own business, you’re the only one who can fully get behind it, bringing in new skills and strengths over time.

Each year, new innovations and trends in business arise. This means that you must be constantly on the ball, sharpening your skills to keep ahead.

Whether it’s learning how to improve your conversion rate on a certain social media platform, or improving your public speaking skills, everyone has their own areas they wish to improve.

Here are 4 key business skills worth mastering in 2019, which will confidently take you and your business into 2020.

1. Technology

It seems that there is no faster moving industry than that of technology. One minute we think we have the most up-to-date smartphone, only to find it quickly replaced by the next big thing.

The same applies for the technology required for businesses. Retail businesses must understand that their point-of-sale (POS) systems will constantly need to be compatible with mobile payment systems, like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

As the world goes mobile heavy, it’s beneficial to have your business accessed via apps. Perhaps to reach wider audiences, you could benefit from understanding how to make short video clips or even podcasts for your business.

All these require a thorough understanding of new and existing technology you may not be familiar with. Assess which aspects of technology could benefit your business and learn how to use them.

2. Social Media

Understanding the evolving social media platforms and how to use them is vital to any business. Whether you run a product-led retail business or service, social media can be used to reach new audiences and potentially increase sake.

Social media evolves rapidly, therefore, any entrepreneur needs to stay on top of the most popular platforms, without falling behind. In 2019, Instagram is constantly updating itself and has become the most widely used social media platform, so sharpening your skills across this platform is vital.

It’s worth studying the effect on social media platforms for both marketing and sales, sharpening your knowledge on how to effectively use them. It may be that only certain platforms would work with your business, but either way, it’s worth finding out.

3. Relationship Building

Communication is the key skill when it comes to relationship building. Without being able to communicate and build mutually beneficial relationships within business, you could be preventing new opportunities arising.

Some of the relationships you build will be more client or supplier based, in which you’ll not only need strong communication skills but that or negotiating and persuasion. These are key for working to anything numbers and financial based, so it could be worth improving your skills within negotiation and sales. You can look at seminars by companies such as Karrass, which teach you tactics and strategies.

4. Failure Management

With all new businesses, you’ll be expected to have highs and lows. No matter how hard you have worked on a plan, an unexpected outcome can happen. Everyone deals with failure differently, but it tends to be those who don’t deal well with mishaps and approach business failure negatively that fail to grow their business.

When you fully understand how failure can come and go, and how to handle it, you can budget for unexpected expenses and mentally prepare. It all comes down with understanding how to respond to a crisis. There are many courses and classes that focus on failure management to help to train you with this.

The above are a hand-picked selection of many business trends which will help you thrive as an entrepreneur in 2019. It’s worth assessing a combination of soft skills and hard skills spreading across technology, processes and personality skills. Both are equally as important, so do analyze your current strengths and weaknesses, and take action accordingly.

The Hidden Gem in Family Business Meetings

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Communication|The Hidden Gem in Family Business MeetingsI present to a variety of audiences around the country — university-based, family business centers, industry groups and professional groups. Invariably I’m asked, “What’s the one thing a family business should do to be successful?” I always respond that good communication is the most important thing to achieve, and family business meetings are the best way to achieve that. There are the obvious benefits, but there’s another incredibly valuable but hidden benefit you probably don’t know about.

First, let’s discuss communication. With good communication, family businesses can make it, and with bad communication they fail. Why? Businesses is about making a profit. The one who sells the most for the lowest cost, is better than the competitors, keeps all dealings within the boundaries of the law and keeps customers happy wins. And, everyone in the business wins. It’s a blend of hierarchy and teamwork, with everyone marching to the same objectives.

Families are about unconditional love and support. What happens when you throw a bunch of family members into a business environment? Conflicting feelings can crop up everywhere. Family members get their feelings hurt when they’re reprimanded or held accountable. So other family members will hold back their true thoughts in order not to create hurt feelings. Until they blow up.

A good system of communication fosters an environment where business issues can be stated to family members without feelings getting hurt.

Family business meetings are a great way to accomplish good communication. At the start of each of my presentations, I say to audience members: “Before we start, I’d like to ask everyone to pull out your phones and go to your calendar, then create a meeting at the beginning of the next quarter for one hour. Call it ‘Family Business Meeting,’ and have it repeat every quarter, forever. And when you’re done, please silence your phones.” People always ask what they’re supposed to talk about at a family business meeting, and I tell them to start every meeting with the same statement: “We are a family in business together, and that’s a hard thing to do. What are some of the things we need to talk about in order to run the business well and make sure the family is in harmony?” The rest will mostly take care of itself.

By doing this, these natural questions will come up:

  • How do other family businesses do it?
  • When is dad retiring?
  • Who’s going to lead the business in the future?
  • How do we get paid?
  • How will ownership be divided?
  • How do we deal with a family member who’s not performing at work?
  • Do we need a buy/sell agreement?

This is all really good stuff. If you’re meeting every 90 days for at least 60 minutes to talk about family business issues, you’ll be uncovering the important questions and be able to work on them over time to a mutually agreeable resolution. Remember, these are family business meetings, not business meetings or family meetings.

Huge potential benefits may also be gained from family business meetings in which you invite the whole family. Here’s the reason: In order to live your life, you must work to make money to have food and shelter, pay bills and so on. You may also get a sense of accomplishment though your work. However, when you’re faced with life questions or big decisions, or find yourself at a crossroads in life, who do you turn to? Typically it’s a family member — a parent, a sibling or your spouse. Now why would you want to bring another family member without any ownership into the family business meeting? The reason is that they’ve heard about what’s going on in the business for quite some time and have a clear perspective of how the other family members feel.

Imagine a family business with a father, two sons and a daughter. Imagine them meeting. Now imagine a family business meeting with the mother, spouses of the three kids and the fourth sibling who doesn’t work in the business. And now ask the question: “What are the things we need to be talking about and working on to have a good business and harmonious family?” By getting the perspective of the family members who don’t work in the business, the information can take you to places you never realized. It will also give you much greater insight into the unvoiced thoughts and perspectives of the family members who do work in the business.

Bringing all family members — including those who don’t work in the business — into a family business meeting one or two times each year can help uncover thoughts, concerns and perspectives of which you were previously and completely unaware. With this added information, you can ensure that you’re on the right track moving forward to continue building a healthy business and a happy family.

About the Author

Henry Hutcheson has 25 years of experience in business management and global family business consulting across a range of industries, and is a veteran of a family business himself. He is a frequent corporate and university speaker, as well as a columnist and writer for the News & Observer, Charlotte Observer, Nursery Retailer, The State, and Family Business Magazine.He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Crain’s, and other business and trade magazines. His new book is Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business (3rd edition): Ensuring Success from One Generation to the Next. Learn more at www.familybusinessusa.com