Motivation Skills for Leaders

Master these skills to motivate people and lead great teams that perform.

"Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well motivated individual."

  ~ Bill Gates

Project Managers everywhere want effective teams that are focused, and committed to the project objectives. A great team like this will perform and deliver results!


Project teams only perform like this when their project managers motivate them properly.

This is why it is important for project managers to be skilled at motivating teams to foster productive and healthy work environments.

By integrating good motivational techniques with the right work, setting goals, and using good systems for rewarding people, establishing the right kind of work environment, and team culture that is needed to prosper and achieve success.

A project manager that successfully integrates these key attributes together, the more likely the project manager will be at achieving higher motivation levels. Everybody wins including the project.

To achieve high levels of team motivation the successful project manager will master the following motivation skills. Improve these skill areas and team performance will soar!

Motivating people properly will help to build high performing teams. Skills needed to motivate people and build great teams include the following key areas:

• Establish performance standards and expectations.
• Ensure rewards and discipline integrates with performance and behavioral objectives.
• Provide interesting work that is challenging, and allows for the right level of freedom.
• Understand and provide rewards that are valued by project team members.
• Engage with team members to define challenging, specific, and measurable goals that tied to project and business objectives. 
• Encourage team members to set high goals high, and realistic yet challenging achievement measurements.
• Praise immediately for good work.  
• Provide clear and consistent discipline for sub-standard performance.
• Understand what motivates each person on the team.
• Ensure that competitive wages and other means of compensation are offered.
• Use the same rewards for everyone when recognizing good performance.
• Give project team members the right tools, resources, and training needed to achieve expected results. 
• Rotate and integrate work assignments so that team members can learn and leverage a variety of skills.
• Understand the dynamic work environment before taking remedial or disciplinary action.

Understanding and learning how to motivate others will improve your team's success!

Steve Jobs and Management by Meaning
 By by Roberto Verganti  |   8:23 AM October 7, 2011

"Steve Jobs has always been considered an anomaly in management; his leadership style was something to admire or to criticize, but definitely not to replicate. He did not fit into the frameworks of business textbooks: there was orthodox management, and then there was Steve Jobs."

To manage by meaning is to recognize that “people are human: they have rational, cultural, and emotional dimensions, and they appreciate the person who creates a meaning for them to embrace."