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6 Simple but Effective Ways You Can Get the Very Best From Your Team

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It doesn’t matter if you have been in a senior position for several years or are new to the managerial world, motivating a team can be difficult. However, understanding how to engage individual team members or entire departments and keeping morale high is vital. After all, 50% of employees quit a company to escape their boss, not their position, so learning how to properly motivate and inspire a team is critical for long term success.

Fortunately, there are 6 steps any manager can take to maximize their team’s productivity while keeping workers motivated:

1. Set Clear Expectations & Goals

One of the easiest ways to make an employee feel engaged in their job is to ensure that they understand their role. Setting clear job expectations for each team member before the start of a project is necessary for getting departments on the same page. Additionally, outlining concise project related goals and what employees are striving towards in terms of their career development is important.

Only half of employees agree that they know what is expected of them at work, and this lack of direction can cause team members to feel overwhelmed. By setting clear instructions for each employee as a manager, you can ensure your team remains focused and motivated.

“A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.” – Simon Sinek

2. Provide A Support Network

Almost half of workers suffer from burnout at some point in their career. As a manager, it is important to spot the signs of a struggling employee in order to address the root cause of the problem before the situation worsens.

Creating a support network as a manager is critical for increasing employee motivation and strengthening a sense of teamwork. Providing employees with additional training or resources to better complete their job is recommended, as well as ensuring that employees have a proper work-life balance.

3. Communicate Regularly

Communication between managers and their team is critical for both motivated and disinterested employees. Consistent feedback can encourage productive employees to continue their outstanding work, and it can also provide lagging employees a chance to ask for help or guidance.

Ultimately, by keeping open lines of communication with all team members, managers can gain a better understanding of their team’s strengths and weaknesses. Scheduling weekly or monthly meetings with employees can be an effective way to gauge the state of a department, address concerns or problems, and make adjustments to increase productivity.

4. Give Recognition

Studies have shown that recognition is the number one thing employees say their manager could provide to encourage them to produce better work. This is simply human nature. Praise for hard work and producing results can motivate employees to strive for further success, and it keeps employees feeling valuable.

Leaving talent and hard work unnoticed can lead to employees feeling unappreciated over time, increasing the likelihood the resign or become disinterested. A skilled manager knows when recognition for valuable work is due and how to provide it to their team.

5. Remember The Bigger Picture

Setting clear expectations for employees before the start of a project helps clarify the division of labor and team roles. However, as a manager, it is also important to outline the bigger picture when beginning and concluding a project.

Employees will feel higher levels of motivation if they believe they are working towards something important for the organization that they work for. It is easy for employees to feel as if they are a simple cog in a machine after years of employment, but a skilled manager should outline the importance of the task at hand and the value it brings back to the company.

Reminding employees of the value they provide is a simple but effective tactic to increase motivation and get the most from a team.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford

6. Lead By Example

While managerial tactics such as providing recognition or keeping open lines of communication are useful ways to motivate employees, a good manager must still lead by example. A department cannot succeed under poor leadership. Additionally, employees cannot be expected to excel at their job and remain motivated if they are burdened by poor leadership.

A truly great manager leads their team by example, setting a standard of professionalism and work ethic that inspires their team to greater heights.

Managing a workforce can be challenging for experienced and novice managers alike. However, as long as managers remember these 6 critical steps, they can effectively motivate their department, keep morale high, and deliver results.

Danielle is the Co-Founder of Boomer Benefits who writes regularly for many online publications, including Forbes, where she is a member of the Finance Council. A TCU journalism graduate and former magazine editor, she enjoys sharing her knowledge.

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The Entrepreneur’s Reading List That Transforms Ideas Into Empires

These must-read titles and writing insights reveal how entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into empire-level success.

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Entrepreneurship is powered by stories—of accomplishment, failure, and decision moments that define businesses. Books are maps, providing insight from individuals who’ve traversed the road ahead. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

Building a Business Empire: Lessons from the World’s Boldest Entrepreneurs

Learn essential lessons, success strategies, and mindset shifts every aspiring entrepreneur needs to overcome challenges and build a thriving business.

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Back in July 2017, I attended a business seminar on entrepreneurship in India. With my appetite for learning and meeting new people, I wanted to explore the latest developments in the entrepreneurial world. (more…)

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