It is worth thinking about what you really want. This will help to motivate you and enable you to structure your ambitions and goals. Understanding what you want applies to your personal life as much as to your work life—the two are intertwined. If you really want to spend more time with your family then you are unlikely to be motivated if you are in a job where you are required to spend many hours at work. If you come to the conclusion that you’re not in the right job, you are better off moving to a new job that suits your circumstances better.

Most people are so busy with their day-to-day activities that they don’t take time out to reflect on what they enjoy doing. Everyone has to do tasks they don’t like, but if you can build several tasks you really enjoy into your day, it will help to keep you motivated. Think about your work—what aspects do you enjoy? Is it contact with people? Writing a report? Creating a new idea? Can you do more of these activities? What do you not enjoy? Can you minimize the time you spend on these tasks in future? Is there a better way of doing them? It is easy to put off tasks you don’t enjoy doing, but this is a mistake because the thought of doing them remains on your mind. The trick is to do them, get them out of the way, and start something you really want to do that will motivate you.

Set goals for yourself, just as you would for your staff. This gives you something to aim for. Ensure your goals mean something to you, to give you a sense of achievement. Be precise and set a timeframe, so that you can monitor your progress. If the goal is large, break it down into manageable chunks. Don’t say “I will increase my personal network of contacts”; say instead, “I will add five new contacts to my personal network from the construction sector by the end of December.”

  Goals don’t have to be totally work-related. In fact, it is a good idea to have some personal goals. For example, you might decide that you need to lose weight or improve your health. In this case one of your goals might be to lose 11 lb (5 kg) or to participate in some organized runs by a certain date.

  To give yourself some extra motivation to achieve your chosen goals, spend some time visualizing what it will be like when you have achieved them.

From time to time, problems will arise at work. They generally fall into two groups: those you can ease or solve and those you can do nothing about. It is no use worrying about something you cannot change. Recognize this, work around it, and get on as best as you can without brooding. If the problem is beyond your control but is very important to you, speak to your boss. If possible, come up with a solution yourself and suggest it to them.

It is easy to lose motivation when you have made a mistake, but remember that no one is perfect. If you aren’t making any mistakes, it probably means you aren’t taking any risks and are staying within your “comfort zone.” If a mistake occurs, do not make excuses or blame someone else. Accept constructive criticism, learn what you can from it, and move on.

If all you do is moan about problems and always appear negative, you will have no hope of motivating your staff. But this does not mean you always have to be cheerful and only see the advantages in everything around you. It is important to be realistic. If you have started a project and you can see problems with it, your first task is to find ways of resolving them. If the problems really can’t be resolved, you will probably have to work around them. Let your staff know what the problems are, but also tell them that you will help to work through them. Ensure they know what your expectations are of them.

Successful people usually have a wide range of hobbies and interests outside work, together with a broad network of friends and contacts. It is often helpful to share problems with people away from your place of work because they see them in a new light. Even if you thoroughly enjoy your job, do not become a workaholic. If you spend all your time concentrating on your work you will eventually become tired, dissatisfied, and demotivated.

There is no single “good” management style that will turn you into a good motivator. If you try to adopt a style with which you feel uncomfortable, you will come across as being insincere and you won’t be trusted. However, there are some characteristics that all good motivators share. It is worth reflecting on the people you believe are good motivators—what was it about them that spurred you on to achieve? This will give you an insight into your own personal motivation, as well as helping you to consider how you can motivate your team.

One of the most important characteristics of good motivators is that they can be trusted. It is only possible to motivate people for a very short time without gaining their trust. To gain the trust of your team, never make promises you can’t keep—if you let people down, they will be very wary in the future. If something goes wrong, it is your job as the leader of the team to take responsibility and criticism for it. You have to defend your team in public while investigating in private what went wrong and how it can be avoided in the future. As a manager, you have a difficult balance to strike between “being one of the team” and being the leader. Quite where this balance will lie will depend on the structure and culture of the organization. Some have very “flat” structures where there is very little difference between managers and their staff—others have more hierarchy. Whatever the culture in your organization, some distance should be maintained, or your own authority can be undermined, making it difficult for you to manage problems with poor performers. If there is too much distance, however, you will never get to know the individuals in your team, and they won’t know whether they can trust you or not.

As a manager, you need to organize and take care of detail, but someone who spends all their time on this without seeing the wider context is unlikely to be a good motivator. You need to know how reaching your immediate goal will lead to achieving the ultimate objective. An often-quoted example of this is two bricklayers who are asked what they are doing. “I’m laying bricks,” says one. The other says “I’m building a cathedral.” A good motivator will paint a picture of the objective to strengthen their team’s sense of purpose.

New employees are usually brimming with enthusiasm when they join an organization or begin a new role. But somewhere along the line, it is common for most staff to suffer from demotivation. If the organization fails to value its staff, why should they contribute whole-heartedly to the organization’s success? Although “valuing someone” may sound intangible and vague, research shows that employees who are valued perform better in their job and this, in turn, leads to higher levels of business performance.

There is a balance between sharing what you know and worrying people unnecessarily. In some cases it is important first to consider the consequences of sharing information. Unless you are at the stage of consulting people, it is sometimes better to wait until you have some tangible ideas to put forward. Putting forward vague thoughts rarely leads to people feeling they are being kept informed. They are more likely to think you are hiding something. However, it is better to err on the side of over-communicating than to hold information back.

Communication is a two-way process. It is not just about telling people something—it is also about listening to what is being said. Good motivators are people who think about what they are saying and how they are saying it. They constantly gauge the response from their listeners, and when they have spoken, they keep quiet and listen. In this way they gain insights into how people are feeling and receive new ideas and perspectives. Practice listening: you will be surprised by how much you can learn.

How you communicate is just as important as what you communicate, so it is essential to think carefully about which communication channel to use. Everyone is different—some people prefer to read information, others to hear it. If you have something important to say it is a good idea to use several different communication channels to strengthen your message and to appeal to people in different ways. Having a one-to-one meeting is good for dealing with individual problems but can be time consuming, while a team meeting allows discussion of issues and facilitates mutual understanding. The telephone is a convenient way to give information that is easy to understand. E-mails, newsletters, and the intranet are impersonal but provide an instant means of reaching a large number of people.

Politics in the workplace are hard to avoid. Whatever you do, cliques will form, people will jockey for position, and rumors will be spread. In the longer term this leads to energy being diverted away from the business and can even lead to victimization and bullying of individuals. It is important you know what is going on and put a stop to it. Politics can undermine the positive culture of the organization, and damage motivation. Bullying has the same effect, so when you detect this happening, act quickly and prevent it from happening in the future. Plug yourself into your organization’s networks so you understand what is going on, but avoid letting it distract you from your own work.

Everyone has days when they feel demotivated and below par. Demotivation may not always be immediately apparent but there are some signs to watch out for. An employee may be slumped at their desk, gazing into space, or tapping their fingers on the desk. You can also tell how they are feeling from the tone of their voice. A monotonous tone or yawning may be signals that someone is bored or tired. While these are not always signs of serious demotivation and you shouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions, you should still check them out. Other signs of demotivation include people who normally react well to requests failing to respond or avoiding volunteering for new tasks. Don’t let too much time pass before you act. Anyone can have an off day, but if it persists, or there is a regular pattern to their mood swings, then you should talk to the individual concerned. If they feel overworked, see if you can re-allocate some of their work. Saying you appreciate what they have been doing can be enough to raise their spirits and re-motivate them. Even a quick “How are things today?” shows you have noticed and care about how they are feeling.

One of the most noticeable signs of more serious problems is when someone who is normally a good worker fails to perform. Of course, this may just be a one-off instance. Perhaps the individual has had a particularly difficult task to do or a difficult customer to deal with. But if their work is constantly below their normal standard, there is a problem that you need to tackle. Neither will this type of problem be solved by a quick question about how the person is, nor will it be solved by a military-style inquisition. You will need an in-depth discussion to identify what is wrong and what can be done to put it right. Discuss the problem in a confidential meeting, set targets for improving performance, and agree on a strategy to resolve it.

High levels of staff absenteeism are a strong sign of a demotivated team. To deal with this, talk to staff after every absence. Meet with every absent staff member, so that you cannot be accused of singling anyone out, but make the discussion private, so you can adapt your approach depending on how often the individual is absent and the underlying cause. The objective of the meeting is twofold: first, so your staff are aware that you have noted their absence, and second, to ascertain the cause. Finding out why people are absent is the first step to tackling the problem.

  Be aware of staff turnover. Even if the figure for your department is below average, make sure you know why people are leaving. New staff bring in new ideas, but high levels of staff turnover unsettle a team and can demotivate those left behind. Your organizations’ human resources team should always conduct exit interviews to establish why someone is leaving, and you must ensure the feedback is passed on to you.

Think about how you feel when you are told about decisions that directly affect you at work. How would you feel if they were announced with no prior warning or consultation? Sometimes it can be a pleasant surprise, but often you feel bewildered: “Why did they do that? What a stupid decision!” Now think about the decision on which you have been consulted and involved. You know why the decision was taken, and although you may not fully agree with it, you won’t think it is stupid. Consulting avoids the immediate negative impact on morale and performance.

You will benefit from consulting with others because:

There are a number of pitfalls of consulting. It is important that people know when they are being consulted and when they are being informed of a decision. Some targets are not negotiable—they have been set high up in the company and allocated to your team. If you are going to consult in this situation you will need to explain that the target is not for negotiation, but you want input on how it is going to be met. Ask yourself whether the consultation is genuine and not a public-relations exercise. If there is little likelihood of the organization taking account of what is being discussed, you must still take feedback from your staff for them to let off steam, but also explain to them that while you will pass their comments on, you don’t expect things to change as a result.

While delegation reduces your workload, it also means letting go of the task and giving it to someone else. This means you should only delegate tasks with a clear structure. Implement a monitoring process so that you can assure yourself that progress is being made and the person is comfortable with the task in hand. Delegate when the task is likely to be repeated, making it worth the time and effort, or when the task itself may be motivating for someone else to do. Avoid delegating if there are time constraints or the individual does not have the skill or experience.

How to delegate will depend on the working environment, how well you know the person you are delegating to, their level of experience, and the importance of the task. Delegation takes time to do well. With an experienced team, it can be done over a cup of coffee, but if you have a critical project or you are working with people you don’t know well, it is better to be formal. Ideally this should involve a face-to-face meeting supported by an e-mail or document recording what has been agreed. Ensure that you have allocated the time both to hand over the task and to follow up.

Many people think of coaching as a special form of training undertaken only by a specialist coach. In many cases it is. However, as a manager you will need to understand the principles of coaching and build them into your day-to-day work. You may want to coach someone for a specific task or to prepare them to take on a more senior role. Coach the individuals in your team so they can handle their own work independently. As well as motivating them, this saves you time by enabling them to take responsibility for their own work.

The fundamental skills of coaching are building trust, listening, and questioning. Put the person at their ease to encourage them to talk. While you need to keep the conversation on track, allow them to speak without interruption as far as possible. Ask questions to help maintain their focus and show you are listening. This will also encourage them to think about better ways of doing things and see issues from a wider perspective. Support them as they try implementing their solutions, and give appropriate feedback.

Feedback is an important part of the coaching process. But make sure it is well-intentioned and constructive. You should also try to make it objective and, above all, not personally hurtful. Try to ensure you back up what you are saying with some evidence. If the individual has no control over something then there is little point in giving them feedback on it.