One of the most important priorities of every business owner or team leader is to inspire his team to accomplish success and higher team performance. In a prior blog post, we covered the top eight motivational strategies: Sense of belonging, Public recognition, Private recognition, Monetary reward, Fear of consequences, Competition, Significance/Purpose, and Life/work balance. This is a first in a series of blog posts where we’ll delve deeper into each of these motivational strategies.
Providing a sense of belonging to your team members is one of these motivational strategies that can help you improve team performance. This technique will strengthen you as a leader and will make it easier for you to enhance the effectiveness of your team. A sense of belonging is tailored to a business owner who runs a small, family-owned business. So, if this is the case for you, this strategy will be especially beneficial in achieving the results you desire. This technique also works for companies of all sizes (Very big companies are cultivating a sense of belonging in their work environment to get the most out of their business teams). So, let’s dive in!
How to create a Sense of Belonging at work
We all want to feel as if there is a place where we fit in with those around us. It’s just human nature. Nobody enjoys feeling out of place or as if they’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. When it comes to your business, it is critical to foster a sense of belonging. Every company has a culture and a status quo, which dictates how those who work for it act. It’s important to allow your team members to be part of your work environment and make them feel welcome. When they work hard and deliver good results, It is crucial to make your employees feel that they are in a positive atmosphere and comradery. This provides an extra incentive for them to perform to the best of their abilities.
If we take a family-owned business as an example, having a sense of belonging seems natural and easy. You work with people you’ve known your entire life. You may share a lot of daily activities together such as meals and household chores. However, you have to ensure that you offer a sense of belonging in a business setting. You want something that is related to work and not dependent on your personal relationships. More importantly, because some family-owned businesses hire team members from outside the family, you want an environment that is accessible to anyone who becomes involved in the company.
You can give people a sense of belonging by:
- encouraging them verbally
- taking them out to lunch
- making time to celebrate their accomplishments
- creating an inclusive environment.
Anything that involves paying attention to your team members or sharing experiences and quality time together can foster a sense of belonging.
Conclusion
The last piece of advice that I have for you is to check in with those you work with and find out what makes them feel like they are a part of the team. What gives one person a sense of belonging may not do the same for another!
I strongly advise you to implement this motivational strategy in your small business; it will have a positive impact on it.
Feel free to send an email to let us know how it goes! The next post is going to address strategy number two of the top eight motivational strategies, Public Recognition, so please join me again for the next post. Until then, have a better than amazing day!
Jared
