As a manager, your position at the helm of a team means the business’s success ultimately rests on your shoulders. During the 9-5 bustle of business, the performance and wellbeing of your staff can often take a back seat as you collectively strive to meet immovable deadlines and stressful performance targets. But losing sight of what keeps your business successful will have a negative impact on productivity, as your staff begin to lose their motivation and interest in their role dwindles.

So, what can you do to keep your staff motivated? From optimising your office space to honing in on communication, here are five ways you can lead your staff to success.

​Optimise 

During the working week, it’s likely that both you and your staff spend more time in the office than anywhere else. Your team are undeniably the lifeblood of your business - so start by ensuring their work space is primed for productivity.

Regardless of your industry, a creative approach to work can be implemented - and this begins by shaking up your office space. From suggesting stand up meetings to grouping together desks of those who regularly collaborate, find out what works for your team and action it at the earliest opportunity.

Train 

With hectic schedules and tight deadlines, there can often seem like there’s no time for team training, but promoting progress is integral to your business’ development - helping the company, as well as individual employees, grow.

Keeping your employees alert and active is essential to the ongoing success of the company, as well as their health and happiness. Whether this is introducing training courses or installing an office water cooler to give them unlimited access to H2O, it’s important to find a way to keep their brains ticking.

Communicate

When managing your diary, ensure scheduled 1-2-1s, morning meetings and daily emails are an active and ongoing part of your day. These regular check-ins allow you to offer timely support to team members, as well as providing employees with an opportunity to flag any issues which may be causing concern.

Whether you’re overseeing a team of 12 or 1200, communication is key. By ensuring your team are comfortable enough to approach you with any queries or concerns they may have, you can work together to solve any issues before they become bigger problems.

Inspire

As the head of a team, a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude won’t wash. Implementing a ‘lead by example’ culture will be far more effective - serving not only to nurture a sense of mutual respect between you and your team, but also inspiring your staff to perform at their very best.

From a commitment to meeting deadlines to a proactive approach to your workload, the way you deal with the day-to-day aspects of running your business will not go unnoticed. Your position of authority affords you a platform from which you can influence your team - ultimately strengthening the work ethic throughout the business and increasing productivity.

Challenge

When it comes to motivating your staff, there is no one-size-fits-all rule. While some employees will be driven by financial progression, others will be looking for career development opportunities - so start by getting to know your team and find out what makes them tick.

With this valuable information under your belt, you can begin setting goals specific to individual employees. Giving your team targets to aim for will not only provide them with a more structured purpose within the business, it will also keep them focused as they strive to achieve personal goals they’re passionate about.

The path towards becoming a successful leader brings with it a number of hurdles - but by incorporating these five steps into your management strategy, you’ll be on target to lead your team towards collective success.