Q4 is here, which means companies are rounding the corner towards the finish line to achieve end-of-year goals. During Q4, managers want to keep morale and productivity high so that everyone can end the year on a strong note. Successfully leading people through the end of the year, potentially finishing even stronger than it began, can have its own set of challenges, but it can be done.
So for the start of Q4, we’re sharing expert advice to help you appreciate, motivate, and celebrate people through the last few months of the year.
Recognize initial goals may have changed
The first thing to acknowledge is that goals set at the beginning of the year may have changed and or adapted to meet the needs of the team or company. To hold others and yourself accountable to those initial expectations can be discouraging. Remind them of that and recognize what they were able to accomplish despite obstacles or unexpected circumstances.
Encourage your team by realigning priorities to help make end-of-year goals achievable. Consider setting Q4-specific goals to help people refocus on the current tasks at hand. These goals should be relevant and challenging but not so daunting that they discourage employees.
Stay connected and communicate often
Maintaining open communication is crucial to a company’s success. According to the Harvard Business Review, “70% of employees are more engaged when management is communicative about company strategies and goals.” Thus, it is important to communicate openly about fourth-quarter goals and what is expected of everyone to meet those goals.
If possible, connect one-on-one with each person to collaborate and discuss any questions or concerns they may have. Going into Q4, effective communication will help ensure that everyone is on the same page during the final stretch.
Lead by example
Towards the end of the year, it’s normal for people to feel distracted and have an overall lack of motivation. However, it’s important to note that people will still be looking to managers for guidance. Exemplifying empathy and optimism show you understand how they’re feeling and that you’re confident in their abilities.
This year isn’t over yet, so you may need to think outside of the box for ways to keep people motivated going into Q4. People are competitive in the workplace; the trick is finding a way to make the competition fun and useful. Our suggestion? Try an incentive program. Research shows that incentive programs increase motivation and overall performance by making it exciting and engaging to chase clearly defined goals. A bit of healthy competition is an effective way to give employees that extra push during the fourth quarter. Learn more about the impacts of incentive programs in this blog.
Appreciate, motivate, and celebrate people who deserve it
Just because it’s the end of the year doesn’t mean people shouldn’t get the recognition they deserve. Appreciating and celebrating individual and team success is not only important for morale but also for motivating people. A study by Aon Hewitt revealed that not feeling appreciated is why many Americans leave their jobs. In addition, 65% of people reported that they do not receive any recognition for good performance.
With Virtual Gifting, you can appreciate anyone, anywhere, with a gift of their choice. Our team builds an online gifting platform exclusively for your program; you email people gift codes that they use to log in and browse quality products until they select gifts they love. From there, our team handles delivery.
Appreciating people for good performance is particularly fitting during the holiday season and can give them that extra boost of motivation they need. Gifting is great year-round, but introducing new, attractive gifting options at the start of Q4 can help to reignite excitement and encourage people to stay motivated and on track. Our new Holiday Gifting Catalog showcases gifting options recommended by our team of experts that everyone will love.
If you need help appreciating people, connect with the Gifting Experts. We’ll help you deliver a gifting program that makes people feel appreciated, motivated, and celebrated.
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