Thirteen months ago, we held a focus group with support teams across the country, aiming to uncover the source of the disconnect between bosses and their teams in small businesses. What we found was eye-opening and critical for understanding support team motivation. We hope these insights inspire you to foster better communication and help your team feel more engaged, leading to shared success.
Team members and bosses often speak different languages, even though they’re working toward the same goal. Our hope with this blog series is to give you a glimpse into the thought processes and voices of your support team, helping you better understand and communicate with them to boost support team motivation.
Key Themes for Support Team Motivation
During our discussions, some key themes emerged repeatedly:
- The team wants to be included in both the good and the bad, even the uncertainty.
- Inconsistent communication (or the lack thereof) drains faith and hope for both sides.
- Shedding light on what isn’t working paves the way for possibilities.
One of the most powerful takeaways was the deep gratitude each team member expressed for being valued and included. They don’t take this responsibility lightly. Over the next few blogs, we’ll share more insights, categorized into three main themes: What’s your great joy in your role?, What are your biggest frustrations working with your entrepreneur?, and If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
Let’s dive into the first theme: What’s your great joy? What do you love most about what you do?
What Brings Your Team Joy?
Here’s what our support team members had to say about what drives their support team motivation:
- The value of helping clients: “It’s so powerful to have an impact on someone’s life and help them in such a big way.”
- Making a difference: “A client thanked me for eliminating their stress—that’s so rewarding.”
- The desire to help: “We all have a little bit of social worker in us. Seeing things go right fuels my passion to do more.”
- Gratitude from clients: “When the client thanks you after meeting with the boss, it’s a huge win.”
- Excitement to go to work: “Working for an entrepreneur who creates amazing things and includes you in the process is incredibly exciting.”
- Being seen and respected: “After years of being seen as ‘just a mom,’ going back into the workforce and having my opinion valued and respected is a huge ego boost.”
- A sense of individuality: “Working for an entrepreneur nurtures my individuality in ways a big corporation never could.”
- Partnership and ownership: “My boss sees me as a partner and values my input, which makes me take pride in everything we accomplish together.”
- Personal growth: “Seeing an entrepreneur depend on me to make key decisions is incredibly rewarding—it changes how I see everything.”
- Making a difference in the community: “We don’t just work to live; we live to work because we make a real difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Boosting Support Team Motivation Through Communication
Are you surprised by what motivates your team? Or does this serve as a helpful reminder of how to connect with them more effectively? In the next blog of this series, we’ll tackle the tough topic of what to do when your team stops believing in their boss—a crucial, eye-opening conversation.
For more resources on improving support team motivation, visit fire.h50.us/~hrgnmpwr/dev2/
Champion of your continued success,
Molly
