How to Inspire Your Team Boost Productivity

How to Inspire Your Team Boost Productivity How to Inspire Your Team Boost Productivity Image Source: Unsplash.com / Photography: Austin SchmidI read recently an article that  questioned the reason to be positive, to have hope, and to be optimistic. I suggest that positive inspiration and the importance of learning  how to inspire your team is not up for question. There are many reasons why being positive works, particularly at work.We live  in challenging times for employees and companies and often, people who are stressed out look towards HR for advice and inspiration. While this can be difficult, research provides answers, and shows that proper appreciation of how to inspire your team will be to the benefit of your organisation. Fred Luthans (2009) proposed that Psychological Capital gives a positive approach in  developing staff members, managers and human resources.“If managers focus on goals and do not let setbacks deter them, employees will be more likely to follow suit.”Psychological Capital includes Hope, Resilience, Optimism and Self-Efficacy. I would sugg est that Psychological Capital  is  particularly important in modern times when we can all use a little hope, resilience, optimism and self-efficacy to keep going. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); How to Inspire Your Team  Psychological CapitalPsychological Capital has been defined as an individual’s positive psychological state of development. It’s characterized by:(1) having confidence (self-efficacy) to take on challenging tasks and put in the necessary effort to succeed;(2) making a positive attribution (optimism) about succeeding, now and in the future;(3) perseverance and, when necessary, redirecting pathways to goals (hope); and(4) resilience â€" bouncing back from problems and adversity to attain success.Positive organisational behaviour is the study and application of positively orientated human resources strengths and psychological capacities. These can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvements. The studies demonst rate that managers who wish to enhance their employees’ performance can benefit by exhibiting the attributes of Hope, Resilience, Optimism and Self-Efficacy. The message is clear. You either exhibit these attributes naturally, or learn how to inspire your team.If managers are positive inspiration role models; if they focus on goals and do not let setbacks deter them, employees will be more likely to follow suit. Similarly, how a manager copes with adversity will also be observed and perhaps mimicked by employees. Managers are always on stage, and their followers are watching and taking cues about how to handle situations, what is valued, expected and rewarded.Psychological Capital can be developed through short training interventions of just one to three hours’ duration. This training in how to inspire your team includes activities that enhance efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience.“More than ever this is a time for positive managers who can create a positive environment.” For example, in the ‘Hope’ component of a training module, participants begin by delineating key goals for use in the session. The facilitator will explain how a concrete end-point is required to measure success: a framework enabling participants to work towards goal accomplishment by using a ‘stepping’ method of identified sub-goals, as a way to reap the benefits of even modest achievements.Participants are instructed to generate multiple proactive pathways to the goal and reflect on and discuss the realistic options. By completing this  training, participants take ownership of a personally valuable and challenging goal. They are prepared for obstacles and are ready to implement multiple contingency plans to attain their goals.Psychological Capital training interventions also help to build resilience, by having participants identify personal and organisational setbacks. The training provides participants with the tools to deal with setbacks and create a plan to handle the a dversities.Setting a positive agenda for survival is important in these challenging times. The lessons we can learn from Psychological Capital is that management can create and build a positive environment in their organisation.It is essential that HR plays a leading role in this. Positive inspiration and creating Hope, Resilience, Optimism and Self-Efficacy in any organisation benefits everyone. Managers are role models for employees, who closely watch them. If management is a role model, then Human Resources must be real leaders, and show Hope, Resilience, Optimism and Self-Efficacy at all times. Pessimistic managers are the death knell for any organisation as they give no direction and suck up energy.The conditions are ripe for a flowering of positive inspiration in business. More than ever, this is a time for positive managers, who know how to inspire your team  and create a positive environment and who challenge the rest of the organisation to improve, be positive and creative.