1. Give people a challenge
Talented technical people want to be able to solve problems. There is a real sense of accomplishment in finishing something that is hard. If the work itself is not really challenging at the time, find a meaningful way to add some difficulty to it. For example, a sustaining team can be challenged by been given the opportunity to rework some of the poorly written code instead of just fixing a series of one-off bugs in the code.
2. Give people a good understanding of what they are doing
Try to set as much context as you can for your team. Give them the big picture of the product. The more they understand the "what" of the work, the better they can figure out the "how". I was recently reminded that it is good to know the "why" as well, to give people a real sense of the business and its value to customers.
I think it is also helpful to say what you are NOT doing. Its rarely stated but can really go a long way in keeping the focus. It is a good tool to stop requirement creep.
3. Have clear goals and expectations
Make sure that your team has clear goals. These should be regularly reviewed and updated, if needed. And don't confuse tasks with goals. Yes, people need to know the daily work they need to accomplish but they also do much better when they have the higher level expectations and goals. I found that providing quarterly goals and reviewing/adjusting these worked really well (and I was not a big fan of this approach before I tried it out). The advantage is that you get into a rhythm and the team members remember to keep the high level goals in mind. It also allows you to overlay career goals/personal goals onto the product goals. Because there is more to work than just the task at hand.
4. Give people responsibility and authority
Let the team have responsibility and authority for the work. Trust them. You should be there to guide them but not to micromanage them. When people get to have control of what they are doing they are much more motivated.
Try to set as much context as you can for your team. Give them the big picture of the product. The more they understand the "what" of the work, the better they can figure out the "how". I was recently reminded that it is good to know the "why" as well, to give people a real sense of the business and its value to customers.
I think it is also helpful to say what you are NOT doing. Its rarely stated but can really go a long way in keeping the focus. It is a good tool to stop requirement creep.
3. Have clear goals and expectations
Make sure that your team has clear goals. These should be regularly reviewed and updated, if needed. And don't confuse tasks with goals. Yes, people need to know the daily work they need to accomplish but they also do much better when they have the higher level expectations and goals. I found that providing quarterly goals and reviewing/adjusting these worked really well (and I was not a big fan of this approach before I tried it out). The advantage is that you get into a rhythm and the team members remember to keep the high level goals in mind. It also allows you to overlay career goals/personal goals onto the product goals. Because there is more to work than just the task at hand.
4. Give people responsibility and authority
Let the team have responsibility and authority for the work. Trust them. You should be there to guide them but not to micromanage them. When people get to have control of what they are doing they are much more motivated.
5. Give people the recognition they deserve
It is important to give people recognition for a job well done. You should not take the team for granted. When someone does something worthy of note, you should point it out, and congratulate them.
6. Care about your team
It is well known that if people feel that they are getting attention, their performance is higher ( the Hawthorne effect). I used to show I cared by feeding my team home made cookies. But as groups get big, the amount of baking can be overwhelming :-) A better way is to get to know the people through conversation. You should be spending quite a bit of time with the team during work hours and talking to them (not idle conversation but real discussions about what they are doing). Side note: Yes, there will be some people who you don't necessarily care for that much. Learn to fake it!
It is important to give people recognition for a job well done. You should not take the team for granted. When someone does something worthy of note, you should point it out, and congratulate them.
6. Care about your team
It is well known that if people feel that they are getting attention, their performance is higher ( the Hawthorne effect). I used to show I cared by feeding my team home made cookies. But as groups get big, the amount of baking can be overwhelming :-) A better way is to get to know the people through conversation. You should be spending quite a bit of time with the team during work hours and talking to them (not idle conversation but real discussions about what they are doing). Side note: Yes, there will be some people who you don't necessarily care for that much. Learn to fake it!
7. Eliminate the bullsh&%
To keep your team focused you need to keep the irritants away from them. Doing this won't motivate your team but not doing this will definitely hurt the motivation. Lots of valuable time will be spent complaining instead of working.
8. Make money a non-issue
Pay your people well and take the issue of money off the table. You won't see developers work harder because they make more. But you will see them work less if they feel like they are not paid enough. They view the lower pay as not being valued.
As for special bonus programs, I have never seen these programs really work. In fact the $50 spot bonuses at one company were probably just as effective as the $2k bonuses because what really was working was the recognition.
To keep your team focused you need to keep the irritants away from them. Doing this won't motivate your team but not doing this will definitely hurt the motivation. Lots of valuable time will be spent complaining instead of working.
8. Make money a non-issue
Pay your people well and take the issue of money off the table. You won't see developers work harder because they make more. But you will see them work less if they feel like they are not paid enough. They view the lower pay as not being valued.
As for special bonus programs, I have never seen these programs really work. In fact the $50 spot bonuses at one company were probably just as effective as the $2k bonuses because what really was working was the recognition.
9. Set an example
If you want your team to be motivated, you need to be motivated yourself. The team will see if you don't care about what you are doing. It is hard to be "on" all the time and so you don't need to be but if you don't believe in what you are doing, you need to change something. Either find a way to get engaged or leave. Because if you are not motivated, your team will not be either.
10. Engage a few people to help motivate others
You don't need to motivate the entire team by yourself. Sometimes it is easier to motivate a few key players and get them to influence and motivate the people in their sphere of influence. Another trick is to get the typical naysayers on board. You don't use them to motivate people, you just get them to stop demotivating people, which they easily and often do by saving negative things or pointing out problems (and then you should really ask yourself if it is worth continuing to have them on your team).
----
Hopefully these tips will help you to motivate your teams.
If you want your team to be motivated, you need to be motivated yourself. The team will see if you don't care about what you are doing. It is hard to be "on" all the time and so you don't need to be but if you don't believe in what you are doing, you need to change something. Either find a way to get engaged or leave. Because if you are not motivated, your team will not be either.
10. Engage a few people to help motivate others
You don't need to motivate the entire team by yourself. Sometimes it is easier to motivate a few key players and get them to influence and motivate the people in their sphere of influence. Another trick is to get the typical naysayers on board. You don't use them to motivate people, you just get them to stop demotivating people, which they easily and often do by saving negative things or pointing out problems (and then you should really ask yourself if it is worth continuing to have them on your team).
----
Hopefully these tips will help you to motivate your teams.
I have not had any formal Organizational Behaviour training but I did get MBA training vicariously through my husband (he got the real deal). He mentioned Frederick Herzberg to me some time ago. If you are interested in his thoughts on motivation and leadership, check this out:
http://www.businessballs.com/herzberg.htm
http://www.businessballs.com/herzberg.htm
Dan Pink also has some interesting ideas on motivation in his book Drive. Check out this video. Even if you don't agree on the content the presentation is very entertaining and well worth the 10 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
