Hello Fans of Plans. As we know, February is the month of romance – well, so Hallmark and St. Valentines will tell you! 

But do you know your love language, or that of your colleagues? In this blog, I’ll go through the five love languages and how these can help to get the best out of your teams. 

What is a love language? 

Essentially, a love language is a way of motiving someone by connecting to what they respond best to. There are five main love languages:

• Affirmation
• Gifts
• Quality time
• Acts of service 
• Physical touch 

Let’s take each one in turn and explore it in a little more detail.

Affirmation 

Affirmation is all about acknowledging when someone has done something well though words. For some, a simple thank you is enough, but for others a more public recognition can help to keep them motivated. This can be in person in front of the rest of the team, or perhaps written on your intranet for all to see. For many, having that piece of recognition is vital to keep them engaged and can go a long way towards job satisfaction. The affirmation needs to be heartfelt and genuine. 

Gifts

Gifts are a great way to let your colleagues know they are thought about. But the gifts need to be timely and relevant to be effective. There are different ways you can go about this and having a combination of the following can be powerful tools to appreciate your teams:

-        Long service awards

-        Employee of the month/year awards

-        End of year gift for all colleagues 

With gifts you need to be a bit careful that they don’t become meaningless, think of what is appropriate to your business and even ask colleagues what they like to receive. 

Quality time

Another great motivator is making time for your team or colleagues that require or would like some mentoring. If you want to get the best out of your team, keep them learning. Providing personal and professional development opportunities can really make colleagues feel valued. 

Acts of service 

Getting stuck in and helping your team during busy periods can help towards team building. Showing that you are also willing to roll your sleeves up and get involved can show that you are all in it together. Of course, you still need to maintain your own workload – and colleagues need to be aware of that. Prioritising what your organisation needs is key. 

Physical touch

A handshake, a high five, a fist bump or a shoulder pat can be literal way of connecting with your team. For me, this is one area you need to be sure of and understand you relationship with your team. It can just feel awkward if you don’t have this kind of relationship with your colleagues!

Working it out

You can now look through the above five love languages and work out which ones you respond to. Which one do you identify with the most? Or which one interests you the least? Think about your team members – have you noticed which ones they respond best to? It’s worth stopping and taking notice. It can go a long way to getting the most out of your team.