Published here August 2021

 

Musings Index

How to Write a Motivation Letter to Your Team
With a View to Getting Work Done
Max Wideman introduces author Lisa M. Shepherd who presents some very helpful advice.

Lisa M. Shepherd's advice

Companies and their employees often go through ups and downs when facing challenges and doing difficult projects. Not to let your team stuck in progress and deteriorate emotionally, it is vital for you as their lead to express your support and encouragement regularly. Kind reminders, inspirational quotes, and gifts, and financial motivation are all good ways to cheer your team up. But most of them require additional resources and efforts to be implemented. Meanwhile, a motivational letter to your team could be the best way to inspire them and guarantee positive tendencies in their performance.

Ted Gartner, a chief executive of a small construction company in Los Angela, shares his experience:

"I was stuck with a significant project, my team redoing one and the same process several times over with no positive outcomes. Everyone was tired and disappointed. And then my friend advised me to write a motivation letter to my employees.

I recalled university times when I asked professionals to rewrite my paper and I requested them for assistance again. The motivation letter was great, and it raised the team's spirits. The employees were delighted with my appreciation and support, and we managed to overcome our hurdles."

If your team needs a great motivation letter, here are some simple steps for you to create one without difficulties:

Mention the subject
Always mention the subject. It should be short, clear, and in a positive tone. This will help the recipient to guess the content of the letter and be in a better mood even before reading it. If you are writing an email letter, add the subject to the appropriate line. In the case of a paper letter, write the subject in bold under the recipient's name.

Address your employees
Start the letter by addressing it appropriately. If your company or team is not big, there will be no hurdles to addressing everyone personally. This will show you appreciate and notice everyone's role and efforts. If you need to address a long list of people, then it is better to use collective addressing. Don't forget about a positive and inspiring tone from the very beginning. Such an approach will help to set your employees into a cooperative and ready-to-overcome-challenges mode from the very first line.

Discuss the situation
Discussing the current situation often requires a special approach. Whether it is a big and significant project or just a busy period, it is essential to make clear that you understand the state of the affairs and acknowledge how challenging it is, yet still vital to strive for the best or right outcomes. This way, you will be able to attract your employees' attention to the matters of concern and show your personal involvement in the situation.

Recognize the employees' efforts
Do not wait till the last minute to delegate! If you procrastinate your team will feel it and so will you. Do not delegate just because you are overwhelmed - this is when you will make the wrong decision on who should be doing what. Be sensible about your choices, and be fair about how much time you give someone to complete each task. Remember, it's not just about you, it's about your team first. If you're not sure about whom to delegate to, then invest more time in your team to better understand who the right person really is./p>

Spell out next steps
Remember, the primary purpose of this letter is to encourage your employees to work better, faster, or pressing on with their operation. So, it is not enough just to express your gratitude but to state your visions for the work that still needs to be done. That is, state your requirements for any upcoming processes.

Whether you want your team to increase the pace, alter their approach, or change something significantly, spell out everything clearly in your letter. While being clear and specific, be careful to avoid a bossy tone. This way your team understands your request, but feels inspired at the same time.

Finish up positively
The must-have for a concluding line is positivity and encouragement in your final words. It can be some inspirational quote, motivational phrase, or several kind words from you. It is especially important to stay positive in the end if you had to be bold and firm in the previous part. There is nothing pleasant in reading how your work needs to be adjusted since it hadn't been good enough before. So, aim to reduce the negativity level and follow your request with a positive line, restating your appreciation and hopes for supportive cooperation in the near future.

Final thoughts
A motivation letter to your team is a great way to ensure that your team is operating properly. If you feel that your employees lack enthusiasm and energy to cope with the challenging project or an intensive period, a well-written motivation letter is a great way out. Address it appropriately, acknowledge the matter of things, express your appreciation and gratitude for the efforts already applied, display your vision and requirements for the following steps, and finish up with positivity and encouragement.

The team that feels supported and gets inspired on a regular basis performs with better outcomes. So take your time, get thoroughly prepared, and write a motivation letter to boost your team's enthusiasm without any difficulties. Or, of course, you can save your time and efforts and get professional writers to help you with constructing a perfect motivation letter in short time.
 

Lisa M. Shepherd is a digital marketing manager at pro-papers.com and may be reached at lisa.m.shepherd20@gmail.com.


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