8 Ways to Motivate a Team of Misfits to Success

Managers often think they have a pennant-winning Yankees lineup in place, when in reality, they’re looking at a bench full of Bad News Bears.

So they have to face the question: How can I help a team of misfits succeed?

Well, here’s the good news: The right manager motivated the Bad News Bears — and so can you. (Not to mention, more than one Yankees team has imploded!)

From Misfits to Megastars

First off, we aren’t saying your team is a group of outright misfits — a group of odd individuals who wouldn’t bother with each other if it weren’t for the shared goal. More likely, what makes them “misfits” is that they’re all individuals motivated by different things.

And that’s why it feels like misfits: How can you possibly make them all happy? Keep them all engaged? Motivate them to reach the goal together at the same time?

“The manager’s function is not to make people work, it is to make it possible for people to work.” That’s according to Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, authors of Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (which has proven to be an effective guide, considering it’s been published three times!)

So when you lead a misfit team, it’s critical to find the right motivation for everyone.

Here’s help to do that:

1. Lead by Example

First step: Be positive and motivated yourself.

“Be the change you want to see,” says Andres Lares, Managing Partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute and co-author of Persuade. “Being appreciative of what you have, seeing the positive in situations, rather than the negative, is a very challenging but technically easy thing to change and makes a dramatic difference in satisfaction, motivation, etc.”

2. Set SMART Goals

As a leader, you want to help individuals and the team set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound). When everyone is headed toward the same achievable goal — and a tangible reward — they’ll be motivated to work together.

“Most people know this, but it’s about compelling yourself to actually do it. Write down your goals, check in on your goals and share them with others,” says Lares.

3. Encourage Strengths

In the Bad News Bears, one player, Ahmad, wants to give up after a string of failures. Coach Buttermaker asks him what he did well. “I am pretty fast, aren’t I?” the boy asks.

And the motivation magic comes from Buttermaker: “You’re very fast.“

In three words, the coach elevated a defeated player from “I suck” to “I’m good” to “I’m very good!”

That’s why you want to encourage your team members’ strengths as often as possible.

4. Revel in the Accomplishments

The Bad News Bears didn’t win the championship (sorry if that was a spoiler). But they celebrated wins like nobody’s business — trash talking, beer drinking and full-on camaraderie. That’s all they needed to motivate them to take on the next challenge.

Celebrate milestones to build momentum to the final victory.

5. Keep Them Team-Focused

Team members will always have their own best interests in mind. So to achieve team success, you’ll need to keep “team” top of mind too.

As Coach Buttermaker said, “All I know is when we win a game, it’s a team win. When we lose a game, it’s a team loss.”

Words like that help team members recognize their accountability. Even better, reward the team for wins achieved through teamwork.

6. Get Hot Dogs and Cokes

I know: Pizza parties and bagel Fridays are cliché and don’t really work to motivate teams. That’s still true — free food isn’t the primary way to motivate teams. But food brings people together.

So plan food and drinks together. Buttermaker: “That’s the spirit! Come on, guys. Cokes and hot dogs on me.”

Then use the time together eating and drinking to get focused on the goal and how you’ll achieve it.

7. Balance the Dogs and Soda

A healthy team is a motivated team, too. Do all you can to help team members stay physically and mentally healthy. At a minimum, direct them toward the wellness benefits your company offers.

“Promote wellness initiatives such as mindfulness sessions, health challenges and team-building activities, or doing something that will get your employees in a good mood,” says Lares. “A healthy and happy team is a motivated, confident and high-performing team. Doing things you enjoy will get you in a good mood!”

8. Let Them Grow

DeMarco and Lister — the Peopleware authors — use a perfect agricultural metaphor to explain motivation: You prepare the soil, plant the seeds, occasionally water and remove weeds, but otherwise you step out of the way and let it grow. There is nothing else you can do. With luck, you get a good harvest, but you will have to sweat again next year!