Team Building Resources

How individuals are best motivated needs to fit best with the individuals preferences I’ll cover 4 different perspectives which should address the majority of team members.  However, prior to determining how to best motivate I’d like to cover off the overarching need to “SEE” each individual.  David Zinger made an interesting post Employee Engagement: I See You.  David’s key point was that in order to engage and ultimately motivate you need to “see” people as the first form of recognition.  David references an interesting YouTube video that tests your awareness, try it out, Awareness Test,  it took me 5 times viewing it to figure it out.

Here are 4 different perspectives on how best to “recognize” an individual based on 4 different personality preferences:

1. In front of the group – for the individuals who are the highly competitive, do things quickly and want to move on to the next.  
   • a quick team huddle with an acknowledgement of the good work and impact the individual has had will fit the bill
2. Publicly in writing – for the individual who likes structure and order. 
   • a congratulatory email or a write up in the office newsletter, acknowledging the achievement will work best
3. One on one- for the individuals who are always asking “why” they like to work independently, looking at the big picture and solving the problems.
   • a face to face acknowledgement with a hand shake will satisfy their need to be recognized
4. Hand written thank you note – for the individual who is always focused on pulling the team together and creating harmony
   •  pick up a thank you card and hand write a small message of praise and thanks, the personal connection will go a long way to motivating this individual

Seeing each team member clearly and then adjusting the recognition that best fits their personality type will make your recognition efforts go a lot further in motivating them to continue to perform to the best of their abilities.

Lynn – Team Enthusiast