5 Ways to Inspire Your Team Even When You Are Not Feeling Inspired.

When you’ve lost your own inspiration as a leader your team can start to lose its motivation, which can produce a drop in their performance.  Here are 5 things you can do, as a leader, to inspire your team and get them (and maybe even yourself) inspired again.

1.     Make Them Part of The Mission – When employees do not feel connected to the bigger vision and mission of the company or department, they have a hard time staying motived to do their part.  By sharing with them the larger goals and how each of them contributes to the goals of the company, they will feel more connected and driven to help the company achieve its vision.  When they clearly understand the company’s purpose, they will also understand how to prioritize their work and will avoid wasting time on inconsequential tasks.

2.     Value Their Contribution – One of the biggest reasons that employees lose their motivation is because they do not feel valued or respected and that their input is not appreciated.  Find specific things that each one of them does well and praise them for it.  Show them that you do value what they bring to the team and the work they do.  One way to do this is to add recognition to the agenda for all your staff meetings and open it up for everyone to recognize others for contributions they have made.  This allows for not only you to recognize employees but also their team members to share how other members of the team have impacted on them.

3.     Encourage Collaboration – Foster an environment where the team works together to find and implement solutions.  Start asking the team for ideas and solutions, listen to their responses and whenever possible implement the proposed ideas with their help.  This also means you working with them and rolling up your sleeves once in a while so they know you are contributing and just as engaged in the solution.  Being involved will also gives you an opportunity to see how they perform and the value each member is contributing.  Employees who feel that their voice is heard and that they are part of the process are much more motived and inspired to work with the team to get things done.

4.     Avoid Micromanaging – Set expectations of responsibilities and goals with each person on your team, give them some general guidance and then let them go work on their pieces of it without looking over their shoulder every 5 minutes and second guessing everything they do.  Give them the space to figure things out on their own and let them come to you for guidance if they need it. Remember to let your team know you are there for them at the onset, ready to provide guidance and direction when they ask and be approachable.  Then when they do come to you, listen first and work with them to find a solution without always just giving them marching orders.

5.     Be a Role Model – Everyone is motivated by an inspirational leader.  Step up and be that role model for your team.  Make sure you are walking the walk and talking the talk even when you think no one is watching.  An excellent leader is always reliable and someone that can be trusted.  Do not make promises you can’t keep and be as transparent as possible so that your team knows they can trust you.  They are there to learn from you so model for them what a great leader should be.

So, if you’ve lost your inspiration it’s time to find it again and put yourself back in the game as a role model so that you can be the leader you were truly meant to be.

If you want to find out how I can help you as a leader so that you enjoy your role and don't find it to be a constant struggle set up a free consultation below.