Inspire Your Team in the New Year

A new year is an ideal time for companies to re-evaluate their management strategies. A key component of successful management involves inspiring and motivating employees. Launch a campaign to increase productivity and profitability by catering to the needs of your employees and offering encouragement to maintain loyalty to your company.

Effective managers focus management strategies on employee success. Ask your employees what they want to accomplish in the new year to keep them inspired. Engage your staff in a planning session that includes setting objectives for each project or quarter. Employees who feel as if their input matters are more likely to work toward mutual objectives to accomplish goals and meet deadlines.

Aim high when setting goals with your team. Your management strategies should inspire employees to achieve a higher outcome with sales, customer satisfaction and process improvement. Offer rewards for each step that is successfully reached. For instance, instead of offering bonuses or privileges for the final goal, reward your employees with incentives for 75 percent or 80 percent to keep them moving forward and feeling inspired.

Focus your management strategies on improving feedback and communication. Employees need to have expectations to strive for when on the job, but they also need feedback that shows them they are on the right track. Coach constantly, and spend more time as your staff's cheerleader and mentor. Offer praise during public meetings, and save your critiques for private sessions to avoid depleting employee morale.

One of the most successful management strategies for motivating employees is to hold yourself accountable. You are an essential member of the team and are responsible for not only your performance but the team's performance. Evaluate how your feedback, coaching style or communication can be improved to better serve employees. Get to know your employees and identify how they are motivated and inspired. For example, millennial employees are often motivated by community efforts more so than other generations. Millennials also crave end results that are obtainable and realistic.

Support an open-door policy so employees can vent frustrations, offer suggestions for improving productivity and processes, and communicate with you on a regular basis. Appeal to a variety of employee personalities. One employee may prefer a one-on-one meeting, whereas another may prefer to participate in a town hall meeting to brainstorm or offer suggestions. Get to know your employees' preferences to tailor your efforts.

Managers who can form professional bonds with employees that are based on open communication and mentoring have the opportunity to develop loyal and motivated staff members. Tailor your management strategies to appeal to the personalities and work ethic of your employees to improve productivity, customer service strategies and project goals, which ultimately impact your bottom line.

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