11/03/2021
As well as running MotivAction since 1987, in the past 10 years Emma and myself also run two community interest companies – www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk and www.aldenhamcountrypark.co.uk. Through these enterprises we have been busy growing and distributing food, providing social care and hosting visitors when allowed. With no events, some of the MotivAction team have been helping these not-for-profits with farming, delivering food, planning logistics, arranging camping and socially distanced experiences at the park and farm.
As a business you have probably had to rethink how to motivate your team and a few tips and thoughts on the subject follow …
1. “Recognition is the oxygen of the human spirit” – I wrote this down 20 years ago when listening to John Adair, who was the world’s first professor of leadership. Recognition is the major way a leader can communicate and embed those crucial but difficult to measure things like attitude, positivity and values at work. “What gets measured gets done” is true enough, but not everything important is measurable, so add to this mantra “what gets recognised gets repeated”
2. How to recognise people? Simply saying thank you and well done is the main way, every day. Some may say this is simple good manners but easy to miss when busy, stressed and under pressure and the focus is relentlessly on measurables. Recognition can be verbal or written, private or public and awards, celebrations and formal schemes can be used too. There is a limit to what a leader can do directly and alone so really everyone needs to be involved.
3. Embedding a culture of recognition. No-one will disagree that all should be appreciative of each other. Boosting recognition of hard to measure behaviours and attitudes across, up and down an organisation needs a carefully designed and communicated plan. This is something we have helped many organisations to implement over the past decades. Peer to peer recognition is far more powerful and frequent, for good or bad than top down.
4. Programmes can empower everyone to recognise each other and should be linked to desired organisation values and culture. Only launch recognition initiatives once you already know they will work and can say that it encompasses the team’s ideas input and feedback. Consulting and gathering ideas from the those that will be affected takes skilled facilitation and prevents cynicism and flops.
5. Motivational Talks and Speakers. It was the year 2000 when business was good that small gripes and groans were getting out of all proportion, we invited an unusual and different speaker to our internal conference. A RUC Special Branch member came to tell us about his life, some ups and some terrible downs. The audience were spell bound and stunned at what he had gone through. It helped put things into perspective and demonstrated any problems we had were minor in comparison.
Speakers can educate, inform and entertain, the choice of speaker says a lot and can back-fire, be irrelevant and in some cases hugely expensive for an effect that lasts a few days. Hearing from this man is memorable 21 years later, I think of his life and experiences every time I am feeling sorry for myself and the problems are put into better perspective.
6. Avoid creating entitlements - they do not motivate but will de-motivate when taken away. Perks and parties can easily become expected. Now is the chance to change and revaluate regular events that become harder and harder to “top” each year. For instance, instead of a drink fuelled Christmas party consider a summer event. It will be remembered, be different and can also have a charitable element.
7. “Make a difference” with Team Building Days. Team building is most effective when doing something real as a team, choose to do activities that make a difference. Escaping the office as a team, working on a project that gives something back is rewarding and can be de-briefed to apply lessons learnt to the workplace.
We have had events at the farm and park for between 6 and over 500 volunteers for a day working together to help. Groups have transformed areas of Church Farm and Aldenham Country Park, leaving a long-term legacy for our care farm (that looks after adults with learning difficulties). Fun and celebration can be part of the day too and such events avoid the cynicism that can erupt from “jollies”
8. Make Work Fun. This is about trying to take away things that stop people having fun rather than one off comedy jaunts or being a joker. Involve everyone, spark honest dialogue and take action to remove barriers to fun, and fun will emerge naturally, enabling creativity and reducing stress. Every interaction can be fun, protect ego’s and enhance the atmosphere.
9. Involve the Family. Gift your team a family day out at one of our free-range farms, Church Farm or Aldenham Country Park. A day away from the family can be great but many of us need more “fun-time” with the family rather than less, a summer family day without the booze will have a greater motivational effect than another hazy day after that wild party for most – but not all!
10. Motivation is like a bath you need it every day. Great teamwork and motivation are enabled from the top, but to be sustained need to be practised by everyone every day. No manager or leader can do this alone, sustained motivation and teamwork means embedding a culture so that positive interactions become the natural atmosphere at work.
Talk to us to discuss your objective or business challenge and we will listen, create with you, and then if appropriate work with you to boost morale, motivate, team build and an even better culture at work. We have over 30 years of experience to offer!
Aldenham Country Park and Farm, Hertfordshire
