How to Motivate Your Team to Get Things Done Together

Motivated teams work better together. They’re happy with their work environment. They’re happy with themselves. Naturally, they’re more productive. It’s great news for everyone involved.

However, motivation is fickle. It’s not easy to pump up your employees, keeping them eager about the day ahead every single day.

So, how do you inspire your employees every day so they bring their best selves to the forefront? Here’s how.

Appreciate your employees

In a study conducted at MIT, participants were given papers filled with random letters. The task? To find pairs of identical letters. Participants were divided into three groups with the experiment conducted over several rounds. With each round, participants were offered less money than the previous round.

For the first group, those involved were asked to write their names with their submissions. The experimenter looked over the results and said “great” before putting the papers in a pile.

People in the second group didn’t write down names. The experimenter put the sheets into a pile without even glancing at them. For the third group, the researcher shredded the work immediately.

People who got their papers shredded demanded twice as much money than the people from Group 1. For the second group, participants needed nearly the same amount of money.

The verdict is clear. If people don’t feel appreciated, they turn grumpy. The same is the case with your employees.

Keep workplaces free of slang

The world today allows a relatively free exchange of talent and resources. People are moving from one place to another all over the world, seeking new avenues to do their jobs. 

That means a team’s granular makeup includes representatives from all nationalities. If workplace communication is ridden with slang, it can be difficult for international employees to understand what’s being said, which can hamper productivity.

A workplace free of slang helps ensure clarity, fosters mutual respect, and contributes to a more inclusive atmosphere. When everyone can understand one another without confusion or ambiguity, collaboration improves – and so does morale. It also avoids creating in-groups or cliques based on shared cultural references, which can make others feel excluded or marginalized.

Making a conscious effort to keep communication clear and slang-free isn’t just about avoiding misunderstandings – it’s about building a work culture where everyone feels like they belong. That’s the kind of culture worth putting in your mission statement.

Understand that meetings are useless and fix that

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding DevOps. The idea is to streamline each and every part of the process to generate the highest levels of productivity. If existing tools aren’t enough, use other tools to streamline things.

DevOps has its uses, but again, implementing DevOps riddles your time with pointless meetings about endless things. Even without DevOps, meetings tend to remain a big part of the present work culture.

Despite that, meetings don’t do much. The way meetings are conducted today wastes tons of time. You often go right back to where you started.

The very idea of having to attend another meeting is demotivating to most people.

To ensure you eke out at least some productivity, create an agenda for your meeting and distribute it before the meeting begins. Invite only those who really need to attend and don’t keep going at it pointlessly. Remember the goal is not to conduct meetings for namesakes but for propelling growth. Meetings are best conducted to discuss the primary goals you have in mind.

Set clear goals

Another study found that employees wasted their time because they didn’t know which part of the work was their topmost priority. It’s your job to invite people and members of your team and talk clearly. Once you and they know what the goals are, write them down as part of a presentation so that there’s a physical copy of it to go around and refer to. A clear visual guide not only reinforces the message but also provides a constant reminder for everyone about the bigger picture.

With that done, ensure each team member knows what the priorities are. Be transparent about deadlines and milestones, and ensure that everyone has access to the necessary resources to meet those goals. Regularly check in on the progress to keep everyone aligned. It’s not just about setting goals, but also about fostering a sense of ownership and accountability among the team. When they understand how their tasks contribute to the larger objectives, they will feel more invested and motivated to succeed.

Don’t micromanage

Micromanaging kills motivation. Nobody likes being watched over their shoulders and being told what to do. 38% of employees in a survey reported that they’d rather prefer difficult tasks to being with a boss who micromanages them. It’s important to trust your team’s capabilities and give them the space they need to perform. This not only helps them develop their problem-solving skills but also boosts their confidence.

Providing clear expectations and the right support is all they need to take initiative. Instead of hovering over them, offer your assistance when necessary and celebrate their successes. When team members feel trusted to execute their own work, they become more engaged and empowered. Remember, your job as a leader is to guide and coach, not to control every aspect of the work.

Pay your people what they are worth

Next, pay people what they’re worth. Your employees (millennials in particular) have no qualms leaving their cushy jobs if they get a higher salary elsewhere. Be competitive in what you’re paying your employees rather than cutting costs.  Not paying them what they’re worth only results in a great deal of dissatisfaction for your employees killing productivity.

Offer not only fair salaries but also comprehensive benefits that show you value their contributions. Consider investing in wellness programs, professional development opportunities, or performance bonuses as incentives. When employees feel their compensation reflects their value, they’re more likely to stay committed and loyal. Competitive pay fosters a sense of fairness and appreciation, which is critical for long-term productivity and retention.

Don’t discourage employees on failure

Failure is also part of being human and being an employee. There are important lessons in each failure. When we fail, life teaches us lessons so that we don’t repeat them again. In the workplace, failure can be an opportunity for growth. If handled well, it can build resilience and adaptability in your team members. Encourage a mindset that views mistakes as part of the learning process rather than as a setback.

Mistakes are part of the learning experience. The goal should be to encourage people not to make these mistakes again but to learn from them and improve. Foster a safe environment where employees feel comfortable taking calculated risks without the fear of harsh judgment. When failure is treated as a stepping stone to success, employees are more likely to approach their work with creativity, innovation, and determination.

Encourage regular breaks

It’s easy for employees to feel burned out. Piling tasks atop another doesn’t help anyone; it only makes them feel even more burned out. Research shows that being allowed to step away from the desk improves brain power among employees.

The best way to optimize motivation and productivity is to give employees a free hand. Encourage employees to take regular breaks. The benefits? Regular breaks clear their minds and enable them to come back fresh and complete the task when ready.

Being attached to a desk doesn’t promote productivity. If they feel the need to rest, allow them to step away, step outside, and perhaps walk or stretch themselves to get more excited about their work. Happy employees bring a spark and positivity that improves the customer experience as well.

Break up tasks

Second, break up heavy tasks into easy little chunks. Small tasks are much more manageable, and they’re easy for your employees to work on together.

Learning time management can help your employees reduce their stress and train productivity of each day. Encourage them to break up tasks, have a to-do list, calendar or diary management skills. Knowing which tasks are at hand reduces the risk of downtime and keeps things on schedule.

A handy list makes it way easier to know which jobs to complete. Plus, notify your employees if there are any updates or decisions on plans and tasks, even the smallest ones. This will keep them in the loop and allow them to adjust their to-do lists promptly.

Encourage a sense of camaraderie 

Moreover, talk to people and learn from them. Your employees are full of ideas on how to make the job experience much more enjoyable and listening to them is a fantastic way to improve the workplace. This will also help them network better both internally and externally, say in tasks that involve reaching out to bloggers.

Encourage the team to talk to each other and build a strong relationship. Effectively communicating your outlook is the best way to encourage feedback and a sense of purpose. Freedom to talk buoys happiness levels to a great extent. It keeps stress at bay.

Conclusion

Motivating your employees is not all about encouraging them with positive words. It’s also about giving them the right incentives, apt wages and staying away so they can bloom into their full selves.

People do their best work when they feel trusted and supported – when their value isn’t just spoken, but shown. That means stepping back enough to let them take ownership, while also building a structure that respects their time, effort, and emotional energy.

If the workplace becomes too controlling, too tightly managed, or too full of empty praise without fair compensation or real autonomy, employees may start to feel stifled. That lack of space – mental, emotional, and practical – can slowly chip away at their well-being. Over time, that’s what leads people to leave, even if they once loved the job.

A strong workplace makes room for people to grow, to feel safe, and to be seen for who they are – not just what they deliver.

Give people the conditions to thrive, and they’ll take it from there.