9 Tips to Motivate and Sustain Your Project Team

Whether you’re an incorporated entrepreneur or a dreamer on a mission, you’ll find that any project worth pursing needs more than one laborer.  A collaborative effort is always stronger, faster and wiser than the effort of one hard-working visionary.

Throughout my time as an organization leader, I have gone through dozens of volunteers.  Some of them were friends that I recruited to assist me – whether they liked it or not; some were referred to me by associates or colleagues; some answered the call of an online ad; some attended events and wanted to get more involved.

And as quickly as they’ve entered, I’ve seen volunteers walk out of the door.  Some moved out of the state; some became too preoccupied with other endeavors; some did not fully understand the roles and expectations of the position; some did not like the style, functionality and/or
communication of the team; and some just stopped communicating without reason.

Through the process of trying to sustain a few good men, I’ve developed some points that I’ve found helpful to keep a good Dream Team:

1.  Create a Process

Depending upon the specific duties of the team member, have them go through some type of vetting process.  Some tactics I use are: applications, in-person or phone-interviews, references, orientations/trainings and criminal background checks.

This will let newcomers know that, although they may not be getting paid, this is a still a professional environment that expects results.

2.   Give a comprehensive Overview

Particularly if an individual does not have a previous relationship with the business, it is best to give them a thorough overview of what they’re signing up for.  Flood them with information about your history, achievements, partners, current projects and future goals.  Any written, social or visual materials are always helpful to share.

It is up to them to sift through the material, but more is better than less in this situation.

3.   Effectively Relay the Responsibility

Once they have an overview of the entire mission, new team members should have a clear understanding of their role in contributing to project outcomes.

You may want to create a brief overview of the position to include: time expectations, data formatting, policies and procedures, resources for assistance, etc.

If the individual does not measure up to your expectations, it’s probably because he or she did not understand their role clearly.

4.   Don’t Overwork

You don’t want to overwhelm a new person with too many assignments.  Although their resume may say that they can do all the things you could ever ask for, you may want to start them off with one task to make sure their level of effectiveness is what you desire.

Then, as they become consistent and successful with one task, you can add on more responsibility.  Most importantly, you never want the job to become a burden for them.

5.   Leave Room For Promotion

You don’t want to start everyone at the top.  If you haven’t worked with this person before, you may not want to make them “Director of Communications.” You might just want to make them a “Communications Team Member.” This is for two reasons:
1) You don’t want to give someone a high position when they are not fully acclimated to the business and they don’t have proven success, and
2) You want to give that individual something to work toward.

6.  Be Flexible  

Even if you want something done by a certain time, at least appear as if your team has some flexibility in when and how they can get it to you.  Try to get a feel for their schedules and work around it.  Also, be flexible in communication styles. I communicate to team members via social media, email, phone, in-person, text, chat, and/or Skype, depending on the content of the message.  They’re doing you a favor, so try to be as accessible as possible.

7.   Set Boundaries

Working with friends is tricky.  While you love them at the bar, you may hate them in the workplace.  The best way to work with friends is to set boundaries beforehand and to keep business conversations professional.  Try not to veer off into personal conversations during work time. Set the tone, not only for yourself, but for others watching; you should be sure to treat all team members equally.

8.   Provide Incentives

Everyone likes being rewarded.  Find ways to show gratitude to your team.  Maybe have a dinner for them.  Perhaps give them a small gift card to a store or restaurant.  Even something as simple as a heart-felt “thank-you” can go a long way.

9. Encourage Feedback

Don’t be a dictator.  Make sure your team feels as if they have the allowance to share ideas, thoughts and suggestions to enhance a project.  You don’t know everything, so be open-minded to suggestions; chances are, if you put them on the team, they must have something of value to add – even if its not in your original plans.

Skillologist, make the decision to implement some of the above tips and ensure that both you and your Dream team will persevere successfully, producing increased productivity for all.  Experiment with implementing a few strategies at a time and see what works best for you.  Finding the winning recipe mix of strategies will ensure organizational success and certainly make for a stronger team willing to stand the test of time.

Image retrieved from http://workwithryan.blogspot.com/2010/09/3-keys-to-building-successful-n...