Skills to motivate your team members

Every individual within an organisation bears a responsibility to combat negativity. However, leaders and managers play a crucial role in effectively managing negativity within their teams and the organisation.

Let’s discuss some of the skills you can use to motivate team members and change negative behaviours:

Managing your own attitude

The mindset and attitude of a team often originates from leadership, including managers and other influential individuals within the team or organisation.

Therefore, before investigating the underlying causes of team negativity, it’s crucial to reflect on your own attitude.

Ask yourself questions like “do I come into work each day with a positive attitude?”, “do I engage in workplace politics?”, and “do I publicly recognise the efforts of my team?”.

Dealing with the causes of negativity

First up, identify potential causes. Utilise tools like Root Cause Analysis and Cause and Effect Analysis for this purpose. Then identify solutions to the causes and implement them if possible. Stay in constant communication with people in your team and include them in the process where appropriate.

Dealing with change effectively

More often than not, negative attitudes arise due to ineffective change management within organisations. So, when you’re implementing changes, ensure transparent communication to keep everyone informed about developments.

Make sure employees know why the change is happening, understand the benefits, and are aware of any actions they’ll need to take when the change occurs.

It’s also important to ensure employees know what skills they’ll need to develop to use the new way of working and what resources will be available to help them through the change.

Negativity in your team

Consider the following strategies to deal with negativity in those you’re managing:

Meet with negative individuals on a one-to-one basis
Encourage people to “talk” about their negative feelings
Focus on the present
Give team members a time limit for being negative
Engage your team members, and teach positive thinking skills

Negativity in your organisation

If your team’s negativity stems from an overall negative organisational culture, addressing this issue will likely involve a collaborative effort requiring you, your supervisor, and other organisational leaders.

Consider the following tips to identify the root causes of negativity across the company:

Meet with the leadership team in your organisation
Send out an employee satisfaction survey, and act based on the results of your research

Avoid bad attitudes with a positive culture

Here are some key elements of a positive company culture that can alleviate the risk of employees developing negative attitudes:

Promote two-way communication

Encouraging open dialogue within an organisation allows employees to express themselves freely. It empowers them to voice concerns, offer feedback, and share insights and ideas.

Two-way communication not only facilitates decision-making but also enhances overall productivity. In today’s business landscape, companies utilise team chat platforms, intranet forums, and blogs to keep employees informed, connected, and engaged.

Enhance employee engagement

Organisations with high employee engagement rates experience reduced turnover, improved retention, and increased productivity. Engaged employees are more motivated and express higher job satisfaction. Employee surveys and pulse checks provide a platform for their voices, while training and development opportunities demonstrate appreciation and value.

Value employees’ efforts

Acknowledging and recognising employees is crucial for fostering a positive company culture. Consider expressing appreciation through thank you emails, implementing an “Employee of the Month” programme, or giving shoutouts on instant messaging platforms. All require minimum effort but will be gratefully received.

Celebrate team achievements

Amid the daily hustle, we sometimes overlook celebrating our achievements.

A team lunch or a simple pat on the back can be incredibly motivating. These small gestures reinforce our collective sense of purpose and remind us that we’re all in this together.

Promote employee wellbeing

Amid the global phenomenon of the Great Resignation, businesses are increasingly prioritising employee wellbeing. Healthy employees tend to be happier, more productive, and high performing.

Fortunately, promoting employee wellness doesn’t have to be costly. Popular approaches include onsite or online yoga classes, mindfulness exercises, workstation assessments, free health checks, and volunteering programmes.

Invest in development and training for staff: Show your employees you value them by offering career growth opportunities and training to upskill.
Encourage non-confrontational communication and open-door workplace policies: Create a psychologically safe workplace where employees feel free to ask questions and aren’t penalised for their mistakes.
Create a transparent, inclusive, and fair environment: Promote inclusivity and ensure all employees are treated equally.
Hire employees who value positivity and are motivated to get the job done: Recruit new employees with skills tests to make sure they promote a positive culture.

Other strategies to consider

Identify the root causes: Conduct surveys and 1:1s to find out the underlying causes.
Listen to your employees and act based on their feedback: Act quickly and make them feel valued and listened to.
Address negative employees privately and directly: Find out why employees are behaving in a certain way and speak to them about how this can be changed.
Give employees more control over their jobs and schedule: Grant employees more autonomy and flexibility through flexible working arrangements.
Promote employee and peer-to-peer recognition: Build a culture of reward and recognition.