6 Ways To Fire Up Your Team and Spark Creativity

Blank stares. Shrugged shoulders. Phone scrolling.

If that’s what your meetings are filled with, there’s trouble.

Your team could be sputtering. And you need to fire up employees again.

Do You Really Need to Fire Up the Team?

But you might wonder, “Do I really need to light a fire under the team when everything seems to be well enough?” They might be hitting goals. Or they don’t have any complaints. Or they say there’s nothing new to report.

So why rock the boat when everything is status quo?

Because when people work in the status quo, they don’t thrive, teams don’t win, and leaders don’t help good people get ahead.

Instead, you all just get by.

Motivate Employees, Drive Performance

So, now the objective is to help the team move past the status quo, hopefully lighting the fire under them without burning them out?

Here are some proven ways to motivate your team again and help them excel, compliments of Inc Magazine’s Young Entrepreneur Council.

1. Let Your Team Establish The Goals

Self-set goals are more powerful than those set by someone else – even a boss. Employees who set their own bar have something to prove.

Sure, as a leader, you can offer some parameters, but otherwise let employees decide among themselves what works, what doesn’t and how best to accomplish the goals.

If you let them know you trust them, they’ll likely step up. And your vote of confidence can go a long way in getting them to their goals.

2. Toss Out a Challenge

When was the last time you handed out a challenge? Not just your annual goals or quarterly challenges. Something more intriguing.

Try something like this: “I need 10 solid marketing ideas for our new education products by the end of next week; the top five idea-makers get a surprise! Who’s in?”

The idea of beating someone else — if just for a small prize over a doable challenge — can stir the competitive spirit in your team. And competitive challenges are limited only by your imagination.

3. Shuffle the Deck

Do you always rely on the same people assigned the same tasks for the same projects? It might be time to let other employees take a stab at it.

If you’re overseeing a recurring activity that’s easy to learn, tell employees who did it last time to give the needed materials or information to others. Trading tasks on a project or within a department not only allows employees to learn something new, but it also gives them an opportunity to teach someone else the ropes.

Not to mention, it keeps everyone on their toes, wards off stagnation, and even helps you learn what makes your employees tick.

4. Brag About Them

Praise from the boss almost always strokes employees’ egos and usually sets the stage for more great work from them.

Use internal communication apps or group meetings to let others outside the department know what your team has been up to and the newest goals for success.

Keep reminding the team of the goals they set together and the incentives you offered to keep them working toward the common goal. Make sure employees understand how working together benefits themselves and the company.

Once everyone knows how great they are, it’ll motivate them to keep up the good work.

5. Point Out Individual Strengths

Yes, your employees work well in a team, but that doesn’t mean their individual abilities should be blended all the time.

Sometimes stoking a fire simply means focusing on what each employee brings to the team and pointing those strengths out. This is especially key for your more introverted employees who are reluctant to toot their own horns.

In many cases, this could be a catalyst for those employees to recognize their worth and step up to prove it.

The positive feedback not only motivates your employees but also keeps you accountable for noticing their great work!

6. Reward Individual Accomplishments

Employees aren’t too impressed with the promise of a thumbs-up from the top boss. But, more often than not, they’ll be motivated by a manager who can reward their performance in a demonstrative way.

An open acknowledgement in front of the entire team – with a suitable amount of fanfare – goes a long way in making employees feel directly appreciated for their efforts.

Hold a small luncheon or reception in the employee’s honor of breaking a sales record or achieving a similar hard-to-reach goal, and include a plaque, trophy or poster announcing the honor to display. Or give cash or gift cards that impact the employees’ lives outside of work.

After all, that warm, fuzzy feeling of pride they get when recognized for great work is addictive!