Motivating Your Colleagues
Quick Tips to Motivating your Coworkers
You know that film genre where the underdog sports team has no chance, but you find yourself rooting for them to succeed? There’s usually a scene when the whole team is down in the dumps and the coach comes through with an amazing speech to motivate the entire squad to try their hardest and win the game! I still get chills when I think of Coach Taylor in Friday Night Lights saying: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
Whenever you feel that your fellow colleagues are feeling uninspired, don’t sit back and let the team dynamic spiral into a negative abyss. Take control and use this saying to reinvigorate your coworkers.
Clear Eyes
Open your eyes and your ears. Sometimes employees feel like their input is not important and their needs aren’t being heard. To combat this, get your coworkers involved with the decision-making process and ask for their input during collaborative projects. Create a regular cadence to sit down with members of your team and let them present their ideas.
Show your coworkers that you care about their input by listening to their ideas and giving them your full attention when they speak. When you value their opinions, you can help raise their motivation to work with you.
Full Hearts
It’s easy for managers and teammates to only give feedback when it’s negative or corrective, but they don’t dole out the good stuff nearly as much as they should. Overwhelm your colleagues with positive feedback, from the big things to the little things, share positive feedback any chance you get. A good rule is to give at least three pieces of positive feedback for every piece of negative feedback. Showing your colleagues that you recognize their hard work will give them a sense of contribution and value and make them want to do it again and again.
Can’t Lose
The best way to get your coworkers motivated is to set a good example. Maintaining a positive attitude breeds success. A positive attitude is infectious and will rub off on your coworkers. Not only does positivity put you and others in an optimistic mood, it will boost creativity, draw your colleagues to you and help achieve your goals.
People that are perceived as being lucky are usually those optimistic, “glass half full” people. Research shows that seeing the glass half full not only makes you happier, it makes you healthier and wealthier. In a study, Psychologist Susan Segerstrom found that 10 years after graduation, students who were optimistic earned an average of $32,667 more than their glass-half-empty peers.
The next time your office needs a little motivation – remember: Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.