You can be the change

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

You don’t have to be the manager to motivate your colleagues and yourself. While you can’t do much about the workload or demands of the job you can make minor changes to your office that could lead to boosts in mood and productivity.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a theory proposed by the psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943, states that when the basic needs of a person are taken care of, they are more able to succeed and reach for greater goals. The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called “deficiency needs” – esteem, friendship and love, security and physical needs.

It is more productive to get your colleagues on the same page than to complain about them. Here are a few points to get you started:

• Share the praise and spotlight with your colleagues that were involved in the project.
• Be accountable accept blame or praise.
• Be supportive and help your colleagues where you can. You are part of a team.
• Be open for feedback and input from your colleagues.
• Share your knowledge and teach your skills to colleagues.
• Encourage informal interaction with your colleagues – this could be a lunch or dinner as a group.
• Be polite, stay calm and always say thank you when your colleagues stay to help out to launch a project on time.
• Set a positive example. Approach your work with a positive attitude and complete tasks diligently.