Inspiring Your Staff To Be Ambitious

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There’s nothing quite like a team motivated to work hard and to deliver the best of their creative force in pursuit of a shared goal. These teams can move mountains, and you may be surprised how much only a few people can achieve.

However, this kind of inspiration cannot be forced. It must be gently invigorated, the same way someone lost in the woods would gently nurse a fire by quickly rubbing sticks to create sparks into dry brush. To achieve that, you need the right materials, the perfect conditions, and the willingness to invest a little elbow grease.

So, how might you inspire your staff to be as ambitious as you are? Let’s consider that, below:

Understand Their Career Goals & Position Them Correctly

It's important to know what your staff really want from their jobs. Not everyone's after the same thing and forcing them into some kind of projected CEO gladiatorial combat will be a little much for almost everyone. Some might want to climb the ladder, others might just want to be really good at what they do. Talking to people about their goals can help you position staff appropriately. Maybe someone in accounting is actually interested in marketing. Or someone in sales has shown repeated interest in learning to public speak. Perhaps your warehouse manager knows where to find the best pallet racking outside of your usual supplier. This helps demonstrate who and how to train, or what insight to listen to.

Seek Their Input & Provide Credit

When staff feel like their ideas matter, they're less likely to hesitate putting something forward and even taking a risk on it. It doesn't mean you have to use every suggestion, but listening is important, and can prevent the “I don’t want to say something stupid” issue which leads to stifled creativity. When someone does have a great idea, just make sure they get the credit. It shows to other team members that their input genuinely will be noticed and rewarded. This also helps if you give praise where it’s due, but aren’t necessarily continually falling over yourself to credit staff for putting an idea forward. This makes them feel like you’re genuinely listening, but not patronizing. It’s a hard balance to draw but leaders that manage it do have a huge impact.

Set The Example

Staff find it hard to get motivated if they see you putting forward the bare minimum, and that can even involve how you dress daily.. If you want your team to be ambitious and creative more often than not, it’s important to show those qualities yourself. That might mean being open about your own goals and challenges, or sharing some of your own successes and failures. Put simply, show them that it's okay to take risks and learn from mistakes. It will let them know that they too are a work in progress, and that means never hesitating to move forward.

With this advice, you’re certain to inspire your staff to be ambitious in the best way.