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a vision of what the business stands for and where you want it to be
what you as an individual intend to do to realise that vision and reflect those values
what individual employees can do to realise that vision and reflect those values
For more on motivation, see the level in this guide on what motivates employees.
higher profits
The skills learned by effective leaders can be grouped into five main areas:
planning/strategic focus
customer focus
self-management/awareness
team management
change management
You will need to use different skills at different times - there's no 'one size fits all' approach to leadership.
In addition, the right leadership style will depend on your business and your own character. A softer,
mentoring style of leadership may be appropriate - or you may opt for a more directional approach.
your business has more than one culture - or the culture is changing, eg following a merger or
acquisition
The way your employees feel about their job and their workplace determines how motivated they are. There
is a clear link between job satisfaction and productivity.
Job satisfaction depends partly on tangible rewards - for example, how much a person is paid and what
benefits they receive. See our guides on how to set the right pay rates and implement staff incentive
schemes.
However, job satisfaction also depends on the culture of an organisation. This means the things that make
your business distinctive and make the people who work there proud to do so.
You can motivate people with:
respect for a good work-life balance - eg offering the opportunity for flexible working
regular appraisal and positive feedback - restating business objectives and recognising your staff's
contribution
requests for feedback, either in person or via staff surveys, on how employees feel about their roles, the
support they get, and improvements to the business
low productivity
Demonstrating trust - don't micro-manage. Trust staff to get the job done. Delegating key tasks can
empower employees and stimulate innovation, although you will need to ensure that the ultimate
business objective is understood.
Showing respect - listen to and act upon what your employees tell you. Be prepared to invest in new
equipment or support if they need it to do their job effectively. By responding to their concerns you can
demonstrate your trust in their judgement.
Giving encouragement - if someone's standards fall short, don't criticise, but find out what the
problem is and try to get them back on track. Identify if more training is needed. It also helps to offer
incentives for achievement. See our guide on how to implement staff incentive schemes.
Valuing diversity - what works for motivating one person, may not work for another. Be flexible and
use your interpersonal skills to get the best out of different types of employee.
Rewarding good performance - set clear objectives and celebrate employee achievement. You could
consider offering financial rewards. Any reward should be proportionate to the achievement, and the
system should be seen as fair and transparent by all staff.
Be sympathetic to the needs of your employees. For example, you should have appropriate policies for
compassionate leave and time off. See our guides onallowing time off work and how to set up
employment policies for your business.
Team building
Team building is a good way to motivate individuals. If you can get everyone in your business to feel part of
a team, you'll get more out of them.
There's a social aspect - it's more enjoyable working with others than in isolation.
Teams stimulate innovation - interaction between team members throws up new ideas for solving
problems. See our guide on how to use innovation to start or grow your business.
People will feel loyalty to the team, and not want to let others down.
A sense of belonging makes people feel they're valued and builds motivation.
Facilitating teamworking
You need to be able to facilitate teamworking. This can involve:
Setting out a vision - restating the business purpose and aims, then asking what changes staff feel
should be made to meet their own needs and customer needs. See our guide on how to inform and
consult your employees.
Uniting people - for instance, you might assign a challenging task to a team of employees and ask for
a solution. Ask everyone to contribute and publicly recognise their efforts afterwards.
Empowering people - allocating resources to the team to get the job done. Intervene when needed to
teach skills and help the team solve problems. Provide specialist help, training and literature where
needed.
Encouraging debate - get the team to discuss how best to achieve the task. Ensure everyone feels
able to voice an opinion, no matter what their role in the business.
Reflecting afterwards - gather the team's opinions on how well all the above worked, and use this to
plan for future project work.
Eliminate uncertainty - be honest and upfront from the beginning of the change process. Give as
much information as you can about the change, and the impact it will have on people and ways of
working.
Be visible - try to give the key message face to face. They'll appreciate hearing it from you in person.
Match the mood to the message - the way you communicate is almost as important as the message
itself. If you have got bad news, give it sensitively.
Delegate - you can control the information you give by using managers who know their staff and know
how best to communicate it.
Give people the opportunity to input, ask questionsand provide feedback. Make sure this isn't just a
cosmetic exercise, they may just have the solution to your problem.
Try to see change as an opportunity, rather than a threat. Because it requires more leadership, it's a chance
for you to grow in the eyes of your employees. If you earn more respect it will increase their motivation to
work for you.