5 Ways to motivate your managers

How To Motivate Your Managers

Sometimes, managers need to refresh their learning, refocus their mind and re-energise their teams to boost personal effectiveness in the workplace.

Here, we share with you 5 time-tested and practical ways to motivate and invigorate your managers to perform at their best. When you implement these, your organisation will become more effective, productive and efficient. And let's not forget, when your team members are more engaged and motivated, your organisation saves money too!

Tip 1

Help your managers to understand what 'Good', 'Excellent' and 'Outstanding' performances actually look like.

Do your managers drift along, or are they completely focused on delivering 'Excellent' or 'Outstanding' performance with results to match?

Too often, managers are left to 'get on' with their job, yet many do not pro-actively or confidently approach their own line manager to ask what excellent actually looks like. Don't wait for them to ask you; share your thoughts on how they can confidently and competently achieve it.

Tip 2

Help them understand what challenges your organisation or department is facing, and invite them to share their thoughts on how to tackle and overcome them.  

Yes, I understand - they should know them anyway, but they may not do.

Asking your managers for their ideas on how challenges can be overcome and how good performance can become great is a quick, easy and no-cost method to engage your managers. It will help you develop a more collaborative, transparent and worthwhile working relationship.

Tip 3

Equip them with tools to confidently approach and tackle poor performance.

Often, managers enjoy doing the 'nice' people management tasks, but steer clear of addressing sensitive or potentially volatile people issues - poor performance being one of them.

Coach them on what to do, how to do it, how to communicate confidently and assertively, and how to promote greater personal ownership of performance to individuals within and across their team.

Poor performance can occur for a variety of reasons, and your managers may play a part in manifesting the inferior performance. Whatever the case, confidently and competently addressing poor performance serves to build greater self-confidence and management competency, and your organisation benefits too.

Tip 4

Teach them how to delegate effectively...and then ensure they do it!

Managers can feel that they have to do 'everything', and that asking a team member to undertake a task, activity or project is simply placing undue pressure on them. However, it can alleviate pressure overall in the long-run!

Learning how to delegate doesn't just free up the manager's time and head-space; it enables the manager to focus on delivering the few things that really matter rather than being pulled from pillar to post with multiple projects and conflicting deadlines. When done correctly, delegation builds trust, develops skills across a team, boosts collaborative working habits and reduces the (over) reliance on one employee to deliver 'everything'.

Why not download a free 40-minute 'How To Delegate' audio from Summit?

Tip 5

Lead By Example.

The manager sets the emotional climate for the team. This is a major factor which influences whether the team will work with the manager, or against them.

It is vital that you demonstrate the standards, values and habits that you want others to follow and implement in order to maximise your organisation's effectiveness and competitiveness in its chosen sector. Don't expect others to have high standards if you are not first demonstrating them.

To learn more about how your organisation and employees can benefit from a tailored, Management Development training course just complete the Contact Form.

Or why not call us on 0845 052 3701?