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For teamwork you need motivated colleagues. One of the best ways for a leader to motivate her colleagues is pay attention to them and make it clear that you are there to provide support and help when required. Try to keep people focussed on the goals that are the highest priorities in order to provide a clear route forward.  You shouldn’t be the last person to find out if someone has concerns or is struggling. Be active and communicative to identify problems and deal with them. This may involve tweaking your team or the distribution of work. For example, if someone is losing interest as the work is not challenging her, think of ways you can get her to engage with her tasks. You could explain how this work, although a bit boring, is essential to the overall project. Say something like “I know this is a bit monotonous, but without this the whole thing falls apart. I assigned it to you because you have great attention to detail.” An important part of motivating others is commending good work. Look for opportunities to praise people for a job well done, and demonstrate that you appreciate what they are doing. Taking an active interest in the work of your colleagues is a key feature of a good leader who is able to motivate her team.  With more junior members of staff, always be on the lookout for career development opportunities. A positive and cooperative working culture where people’s hard work is respected and appreciated will result in a more motivated group. If you are trying to be a strong leader, it can be tempting to try to prompt better work by creating a competitive environment amongst your colleagues. In fact, developing a more cooperative work culture often leads to more effective working and better relationships.  Any battles that arise in a competitive culture cost valuable time and resources to deal with. You are better off creating common goals that you can achieve together.  Creating a cooperative environment will encourage collaboration and help avoid silo working. If you are leading a team on a project, it’s important that you are available to your colleagues. Remember that a good leader is someone who not only gets the task done, but is also concerned with helping her colleagues develop and achieve their potential. Be open to mentoring more junior colleagues, and be sure to make time for one-to-one training when required.  You can make yourself visible and available in a number of ways. For example, you might schedule in a short period each day where you are free to listen to any concerns. You could do this formally, or just set aside half an hour in which you can go around the team and check how everybody is getting on. If someone asks you something and you don’t have time to deal with it right away, don’t dismiss it outright. Schedule a time later when you are free to talk.
Motivate others. Commend good work. Cooperate instead of competing. Be visible and approachable.