It’s tempting to focus solely on financial targets and business goals as the way to direct your team, but sustained motivation comes from a focus on something deeper. Teams who connect with the meaning in their work are more engaged, more innovative, and resilient in the face of difficulties or challenges.
As Richard Branson knows:
“Clients do not come first. Employees come first.
If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”
Question 8 in our Team Effectiveness Model asks “Have we brought our purpose to life and feel motivated?”
As a leader, are you ensuring that your team feels really motivated by what they are doing and that this work connects to a bigger purpose - their own personal growth and development? The teams’ success? And to the future that your business or organisation is invested in creating? A sense of purpose that goes beyond targets and numbers and connects people to the things that matter to them will ensure that your team not only performs but thrives.
When your team is flagging and you can see they have lost some of their motivation or edge, go back to the meaning in what you all do. Research shows that shared meaning and purpose does more than improve performance – it builds stronger emotional ties to the team and organisation. Teams motivated by purpose not only perform better, but they also cultivate stronger loyalty, positivity, and even higher customer satisfaction.
Here are four ways you can help your team bring purpose to life and build motivation:
1️⃣ Communicate an inspiring vision for what you can collectively achieve: Help your team connect personally to the goal - how will it help them grow? When the vision feels meaningful, it drives engagement and focus.
2️⃣ Make the link between actions and goals: Reinforce the ‘why’ behind your team’s efforts, recognising contributions that align with the shared vision and values. Everyone should feel connected to the mission, and that their efforts matter. Remember the janitor who helped put a man on the moon?
3️⃣ Celebrate positivity and accountability: Recognise those who contribute to both team spirit and task success. Remind people that it is not just ‘what’ you do, but ‘how’ you do it that matters and is valued in this team.
4️⃣ Reinforce confidence as a team: Build collective belief in the team’s ability to achieve ambitious goals. “Together, we can do this.” Your confidence in the team’s capability inspires action from them.
At Gyre, we know that shared and meaningful goals are the heartbeat of thriving teams. When leaders prioritise meaning beyond profit, they create inspirational teams.
How are you actively helping your team understand why what they do really matters - matters for their growth and development, matters because it makes a difference and matters for stakeholders and customers too?
#Leadership #TeamEngagement #PurposeDriven #TeamEffectiveness #Motivation #EmployeeEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #PurposeBeyondProfit #ThrivingTeams #Gyre
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