Career Tools: Communicate to Motivate Teams

Stop in the development office at the Fuqua School of Business and you might hear cheers or laughter.

"Show me the money!" officemates say, moving to their own rhythm and imitating a famous scene from the movie, Jerry Maguire. The dancing may not come often, but when it does, it means someone from the office has had success with a potential donor.

It's not a way to embarrass coworkers, said Krista Bofill, director of development at Fuqua. It's a way to build camaraderie.

"If we get a gift, everybody has to do the money dance," Bofill said. "It's not about moves or rhythm, it's simply about getting everyone excited because we've done a good job."

While dancing may not work for everyone, it's a unique way Duke employees motivate others. Whether you're a supervisor or not, creating a positive impact on coworkers can be a responsibility for everyone in an office or department. It's a way to boost morale and make a more cohesive work environment, Bofill said.

"It's about making everyone feel a part of decisions, programs and the excitement of successes," she said.

An important key to finding what will succeed to motivate others is to first figure out what excites members of a team, said Keisha Williams, director of Learning and Organization Development. By determining a common denominator that motivates multiple people, Williams noted it's easier to create cohesion among coworkers.

"Ultimately, it's about communication," Williams said. "Getting to know other people and being a good listener can give you an idea for who they are and what will help bring them together with others, whether it's rewards and recognition or simply satisfaction of successfully working with others."

Williams also pointed out that it's important for all members of a team to be transparent in their expectations for job responsibilities and motivation. By being up-front and honest in what they need, all members of a team will know how to work together - and motivate each other – better.

For Greg Dye, working on that kind of team approach has benefited him. As operations manager at the Duke Lemur Center, he and his staff are always looking for ways to increase exposure and interest amongst the public. By emphasizing the idea of teamwork and listening to others,  Dye and his staff have motivated each other to expand the Lemur Center's reach, whether through partnering with groups like Duke Stores, or coming up with new ways to fundraise.

"What I've found is that looking at a team based on its components - the people - will help me engage with them better," Dye said. "Just informally talking with everyone has allowed me to know that when we all work together, I'll know who can best address certain challenges and where interests lie."

Which is key, as motivation and successful teamwork shouldn’t only come from the top-down.

"For teams, it's not about motivating down to staff, everyone has to motivate up and across and every direction," Bofill said. "By getting everyone to buy-in to what's important for your group, it's not one person succeeding, it's everyone."