I can name a lot of people who have inspired me throughout my life. You do not forget that kind of people who moved you to accomplish something or who showed you what could be done before you believed it was even possible.
I’ve realised in my short years of work experience that inspiration takes people where requirements won’t ever take them. Entire organisations nowadays are being moved forward not by the boss, but by a company of workers who believe that what they do is worth it and important.
The internet defines inspiration as “The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” But what does this process look like? How can you initiate it? And even more important, how can you keep it happening? What is that thing that people feel in order to do something creative? And what does this creativity involve? Let us see if we can answer some of those questions.
So how can you inspire your team?
Show them what they are a part of
It has happened to me what when my job involves a certain task, I completely immerse myself in it. So much that sometimes I end up believing that what I do is the only thing that matters in the company. Has this ever happened to you? Focusing only on your part to play can become overwhelming and demotivating, because you may never see the results of what you do if you consistently just focus on reaching personal goals.
One of the ways in which you can inspire your team is to show them how their piece of the puzzle fits in the big picture. Remind them or tell them for the first time how what they do affects the company, tell them the things that as a team you’ve reached because of individual efforts, and more than anything, remind them that they are better together! ,,People get excited when they realise that they can play a part in something big, they realise they can make a difference and start seeing their own value.
Recognise their wins, but also the possibilities
Encouragement is extremely important to keep your people motivated. People always feel valued when their job is appreciated and recognised, specially when it took a lot of effort and ended up in great results. It you find it hard to recognise it when your team does something right, start celebrating the obvious.
Maybe thank someone for always handing in good quality reports, or thank that graphic designer for their consistency. You can never loose as a company for encouraging your people, instead this will increase their motivation.
People are scared of celebrating wins, because they believe this will lead to mediocrity in the company. But that only happens when people forget to also look forward and think of the possibilities.
Encouraging will motivate your people to keep doing what they do, but telling them what can be possible, the vision that is in your heart as a leader both for them individually and for the company as a whole, will definitely take them to run the extra mile.
Show them their potential
I will never forget what my leader told me not so long ago. I was struggling to manage an advertising campaign with little experience and instead of showing pity, he told me “There is greatness in you, and If I allow you to hand in a mediocre idea, I would actually be hindering your creativity instead of helping you reach your full potential”.
Man, how many people actually have the guts and wisdom to say that?
If you want to inspire your team, tell them what you see in them. Tell them what you believe they can accomplish. Sometimes all they need is someone else to believe they can do more to actually do it. So as a leader be that person that calls things that are not yet as if they were, give them creative challenges, challenge their responsibility, their capacity and their dreams.
Believe in them (Trust)
Believing in people may be easy to say, but it is usually demonstrated through trust, and trusting other people with different tasks or responsibilities might not be easy at first. You need to understand that people will make mistakes, but didn’t you as well when you were learning?
Letting go of responsibilities will actually be a growth journey for you as a leader as it will be for your team members, but it will definitely inspire them to move forward. When your people see that you are entrusting them with something that is dear to you or requires a lot of attention to be done well, they will feel capable and valued.
I hope this helped you a little at least! Tell us! What else do you think would inspire our team members to move forward?
