The Secret to Team Motivation in the Modern Workplace? Coaching.

If motivation is key then what is the best way to motivate the workforce? We, at Engagesoft, believe in coaching. Coaching is one of the best ways or practices to keep the team motivated and going. In fact, it is more of a leadership attribute than a random practice. 

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Managers are often too stressed out and too focused on producing results, so they focus on the work itself rather than focusing on the employees doing that work. We understand the pressure that leads to the temptation to focus all your energy on the work being done, but we still advise you to consciously shift that focus to the people doing the work. In this article we will provide some guidance on how to step into leadership mode. 

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Before we start, we need to explain the importance of that shift.

While focusing on work itself might bring quick results, you may have realized, or you will soon realize that those quick results are only short term results. Your team will start to wear out and will even forget the purpose of working so hard and walking the extra miles, while tasks will continue to line up. The coaching approach will bring long term results as it is linked to focusing on motivating employees and meeting their shortcomings. 

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How can a manager assume a coaching role? Well, at the very least, providing team members with resources to get the job done, and helping them set their own timeline to produce realistic goals. After the establishment of freedom, some emotional needs can be met. A genuine connection to team members, getting to know them better, their likes and dislikes will positively affect how employees feel about their work. Feeling like valued team members is the starting point. 

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Coaching doesn’t need to be difficult; modeling the right behavior is all it takes. Showing warmth to the team and caring for them will let them also care back. Giving them responsibilities communicates trust and cultivates a positive climate.

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Cultivating a culture of warmth, trust and freedom is essential for an employee to feel psychologically safe at work. It could mean feeling safe to reach a coworker for help or express novel ideas at meetings. It means people can feel confident to bring out their real identities at work. If an employee can bring his whole identity to his role then he can bring his full motivation as well.

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Psychological safety affects how readily employees communicate with each other to resolve each other’s problems and share successes. It lifts up the team’s morale. 

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