As a manager, understanding your employees is essential. To become a great manager, you’ll need to not only recognise your teams’ strengths but also what keeps each one of them motivated.
The superstar
At the heart of your team will be the superstar in the spotlight. No matter the project, your star employee will always want eyes on them and thrive on being given tasks that offer immediate rewards. Demonstrate trust by giving them more responsibility in certain tasks and find out what they want to achieve next in their career, you can then discover opportunities to help them acquire new skills.
The creative one
For creative employees, thinking outside the box and finding solutions is all in a day’s work but routine is their worst enemy. To keep these types of employees motivated, break up their standardised day with tasks that require creative thinking, encourage feedback and consider giving them freedom over certain aspects of a project.
The free spirit
The free spirit works well in a team, but they prefer a little more autonomy. If these types of employees are able to manage their time well and motivate themselves, you should avoid micro-managing them. Set weekly rather than daily tasks and allow them to manage their own deadlines. Give the free spirit in your office a reason to be excited and show them how they fit within the larger scope of the business.
The specialist
The specialist takes pride in having all the facts and is motivated by learning the ins and outs of their specialism. Personal development that leads to formal recognition of their expertise is a key motivator. Offer additional training and courses to strengthen their knowledge and also offer them the opportunity to coach others to share their expertise.
The mentor
The mentor loves helping those around them and is motivated by working in tight-knit teams and being a rock for others. Have confidence in their abilities but recognise they also need support even if on the surface they seem to have everything figured out. Create a positive and social working environment, be sure to regularly touch base to ensure they are supported and ask for their opinion as a personalised approach matters to them.
While there are plenty of approaches to take to motivate and maximise your teams’ efforts, managers also have different styles and skills. If you are looking to take the next steps in your career, head over to our branch locator and chat with one of our consultants.
