If I was a project manager, some of the ways I would motivate my team would be through monetary incentives, public recognition, and a simple small reward system. In regard to the monetary incentives, I would definitely employ overtime hours and baseline incentives for simple goals reached. Although small, these mini milestones would serve to show the employees that they were actually achieving parts of the project and they will be more Intune to the progress. Additionally, public recognition within the team would be a frequent occurrence because it not only shows/ rewards those who do exceptional work, but it would show the other employees what a leader among them looks like. Lastly, a small reward system that gives away nominal items or lunch vouchers would immediately be put into effect. In exchange for an increase in productivity seen in the companies output, employees would feel immediately appreciated and rewarded. Each of these ideas is a relatively simple change to make and has the potential to dramatically change the working atmosphere.

A manager’s attitude is critical to the motivation of their staff. If the manager is seen to be unhappy, the mood is ‘contagious’ and is passed down subconsciously. I have actually experienced this phenomena first hand where the motivation of a PM drastically affected the demeanor of our staff. The PM was immediately pulled aside once upper management saw production drop and sensed the issue to correct the issue. Essentially, motivation is highly contagious, both good and bad.