Dear Workforce How Can I Motivate This Project Team

Q

Dear Workforce:

How do I keep up morale and motivation for a team whose project will likelyend in the next six months to a year? The employees will have jobs in thecompany, but not the same job.

— Striving to motivate, supervisor, finance/insurance/real estate, MercerIsland, Washington.

A Dear Striving to Motivate:

The project team should have a clear vision of its purpose, goals, anddeliverables. In addition, the leader should meet with the team members todiscuss next opportunities for them. Whenever possible give people choices abouttheir next opportunities. If choice is available, talk with people about: theircurrent experience — what they did, what they learned, and how the experiencecontributed to their capabilities. Discuss interests, skills, career goals, andtheir ideas about their next role.

If there is little choice, talk with the team members about the role you havein mind for each. Discuss why you believe this role would be of interest andgood for them. Remember that at the end of the conversation you would like tohave each person excited about the new role and feeling that their skills andtalents are valued.

SOURCE: Susan Gebelein, executive vice president for Personnel DecisionsInternational Corp. (PDI), June 28, 2001.

LEARN MORE: A self-assessment to determine the motivation level of yourorganization.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.