If you are asked to inspire someone, wouldn’t you panic? Your first thought would be – what can I do to inspire others? To answer this, think back to who inspired you? Who was your hero? It can be a teacher from your school days, a friend or a relative, Mother Teresa or anyone else. What was it about them that made you what you are today?
In a business, as a project manager, it is important that you make your team motivated at work and inspire its members so that productivity is at its peak. Here are 6 tips to help you inspire your team members.
Be Reasonable
It never pays to have unreasonable expectations from your team members. Your goals should be clear and your expectations reasonable. Only then will you be able to achieve what you are aiming for. Remember that you are working as a team and therefore, you need to set a reasonable goal that is achievable. If you are working alone, then you can aim for the stars.
Appreciate All Contribution
A little praise goes a long way in enhancing productivity. Remember those days in school when a word of appreciation from your teacher made you feel good about yourself? Adult life is no different. Take the time to praise your team’s efforts and contribution to the project.
Be Positive
Instead of picking out the negatives, try and see the positives of your team. Believe in the power of positivity and everything will be right. Being positive will generate more creative ideas and help the team view opportunities in all challenges. Ignore what does not work and don’t comment on it. Instead focus on what works and then work ahead.
Focus on Strengths
Just as you should ignore the negatives and focus on the positives, similarly, ignore your teams and team members’ weaknesses and focus on their strengths. This will help you solve problems quickly and motivate your team to do better. One of the biggest problems with many project managers is that they keep harping on about the weaknesses of individuals. This leads to setbacks. When you focus on strengths, you will fit a square peg in a square hole and work accordingly.
Remove Hurdles
You are a superhero to your team and thus, you should behave like one. When you are working on a project, there will be many hurdles before you can successfully complete the project. You will have to work to remove those hurdles and move forward with your team.
Work With Your Team
Instead of sitting back and letting the team do the work while you take the credit as the head, jump in and work alongside them. Contribute to the project and you will be sending a message that no work is small for you.
Be a part of the team and work with it so that you are a role model for them. You should inspire your team members and they should move ahead with you. When you inspire them, you are not only helping them be better but also helping yourself. One of the quotes to live by says that “Help Yourself by Helping Others”. Live this quote and be a better person.