So, how to motivate a team? My clients and mentees ask this question frequently. “How will you motivate your team?” Throughout my career as a manager, Scrum Master, and Agile coach, this question has relentlessly followed me in interviews at new companies. And as far as I know, it’s a question that hasn’t become any less common.
So, to put it bluntly, you can’t really motivate a team.
Diogenes would beg from statues to accustom himself to rejection. If you’re interested in this kind of experience, feel free to try motivating your team. People don’t need to be motivated. They don’t have a switch to turn on their motivation. However, there are some things you can and should do to foster motivation within the team.
Initially, form a team of motivated individuals. Remember the Agile Manifesto: “Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.” Aim to select people with a high motivation for work and collaboration alike. It’s essential to timely part ways with those who lack motivation.
It’s important to help team members settle in at first (understanding the rules, goals, work regime, getting acquainted, sharing goals and interests, discussing tasks). Establish a dialogue about work, but not just about work. Get to know each other from a human perspective: interests, aspirations, life, values. And share the same about yourself.
Warn everyone that a storm is inevitable—it’s a necessary stage of team development.
When the team starts to experience this storm, continue the dialogue. About work, problems, relationships. About the storm, and why it’s normal and even good. About what we’re doing wrong. About who feels what, fears, protests, and doubts. About what demotivates us. About mutual support. About what we, as a team, need to learn. Meanwhile, don’t hold back those who want to leave. And make sure to find a critic and listen to what they say.
Once the storm has passed and work begins to smooth out, support people in their work and in their communication with each other, timely identifying problems and working with them as described above.
All this time, closely monitor the focus on work and tasks. As soon as this focus is lost, and people stop talking about work, the team transitions from a working state to a state of a frightened crowd. In a functioning team mode, even interpersonal issues are work moments, approached as tasks (what’s the problem, what’s hindering, how to solve). In a frightened crowd mode, there’s only one set of reactions: fight, flight, freeze.
Of course, it’s necessary to protect people from everything that demotivates (kills motivation). Ignoring achievements and personal interests? Show persistence and creativity! Find an appropriate form of encouragement and resources. Explain the benefits to managers and stakeholders. Toxic criticism from external colleagues? Become a protective screen for your team. Non-team behavior inside? It’s worth showing some tact and trying to teach or cure. But if it doesn’t help, then you have to be firm again.
You can’t motivate a team. You can only support motivation.