The document discusses strategies for motivating teams during a crisis. It outlines three main psychological needs leaders can meet according to self-determination theory: relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Relatedness involves fostering belonging and listening to employees. Competence refers to employees feeling effective through achievable goals and growth opportunities. Autonomy means empowering employees' internal motivation by giving them choice and control over their work. The strategies provided for each need include acknowledging employees, reducing team size, involving employees in decisions, setting goals with check-ins, and being transparent while avoiding coercive controls.

1. Brazil
Business Strategist Roberto Lico
licoreis@licoreis.com.br
Strategies to Motivate Your Team
Through a Crisis

2. We have been under a great challenge, and it’s no
wonder that motivation, performance, and well-being
are not part of our daily activities.
We need new tools to reenergize our teams, to
accurately identify and diagnose recurring struggles, and
to empathetically help our team to address their
problems.

3. Using a well-established theory of motivation called
self-determination theory, or SDT, we have identified
three main psychological needs that leaders can meet to
help their employees stay engaged, confident, and
motivated.

4. Relatedness
This means that your employees feel cared for and that
you’ve fostered a sense of belonging. Make time to listen
to your employees’ perspectives and make them know
that they are heard and valued.

5. Relatedness
 Acknowledge and validate your employees’ emotions as well as their
reactions.
 Reduce team size and acknowledge each member’s work and
achievements to the extent possible.
 When problems arise, make sure to get full feedback from those
involved.

6. Relatedness
 Emphasize that people’s contributions are unique and necessary.
 Communicate that you care about employees’ well-being, not just
their productivity.

7. Competence
This refers to when a person feels effective and
experiences growth. Research shows that holding
employees accountable for achievable goals can improve
performance

8. Competence
 Involve your employees in decisions where their input could be
valuable.
 To demonstrate their mastery of a particular task or skill, ask an
employee to explain to their colleagues what they’re working on or
why they chose a particular strategy.
 Set up check-ins to regularly discuss progress on individual goals and
create strategies to meet them.

9. Autonomy
Effective leaders foster internal motivation by
empowering employees’ sense that they are the authors
of their actions and have the power to make choices that
are aligned with their own values, goals, and interests, as
well as their team’s.

10. Autonomy
 Encourage self-initiation and participation.
 Avoid controlling language and minimize coercive
controls like unrealistic deadlines and constant
monitoring of your employees.
 Be transparent by providing the rationale behind
demands.

12. LRCL – Business Services Consulting
Roberto Lico – licoreis@licoreis.com.br

13. LRCL – Business Services Consulting
Information – licoreis@licoreis.com.br
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