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Motivating people is not an easy task. Too often our efforts come off as a half-hearted attempt to be Tony Robbins. This sort of caffeine induced moment of exclamation can have a detrimental impact on your team. They can walk away feeling ridiculed, dejected, or insulted from these mis-orcistrated attempts.

People DO need motivation, especially from their management. Luckily, there are some ways to inspire them in a genuine way. Here are 5 tips for motivating your team authentically:

1. Acknowledge the big ‘why’. Everyone works for something bigger then their company’s success and it’s different for everyone. Each person on your team has something outside of work that they aspire to achieve. Indicating that you understand that there are other things in their lives will allow them to see that doing their job well will help them achieve their non-work related aspirations.
2. Take moments to publicly call out exemplary work for individuals. Make sure your team feels appreciated and that they see you show your appreciation to others. People genuinely want to be acknowledged for their efforts and will work with extraordinary gusto when they have the chance to be praised for it.
3. Ask for input. People who share their thoughts about the business are automatically more invested in their work. Take the time to hear from your staff about what they like and dislike.
4. Host a Staff to Staff praise moments. Have a time when individuals can share extraordinary things they witnessed their fellow staff members doing. This not only creates a collaborative team environment, it entices your staff to go above and beyond in their daily efforts to receive this sort of acknowledgement.
5. Reward great behavior (semi-randomly)! This is something larger than handing them a Starbucks gift card or an extended lunch break. Do something that truly lets your staff know how impressed you are with their efforts. These rewards can be a significant budgetary expense, but it will have a much larger impact on morale, engagement, and on turnover.

Always be on the alert for ways to point out who is doing great things on your team. People enjoy being praised for their efforts and are more likely to repeat those actions when appreciation is shown. Work with your team to ensure that they know how important they are to the success of your business.

Stay passionate and enthusiastic in everything you do!