You can talk to your employees all you want, but sometimes no amount of talking will do the trick. Motivation doesn’t always fit into a neat little box that you can then throw at your employees. Sometimes it takes a lot more than that. One of the best ways to motivate your employees is through your own actions. Instead of telling an employee what they must do, inspire them instead. Nothing says responsibility and efficiency more than you doing your job instead of talking at your team. Here are a couple of other ways to inspire them.

Check Your Ego

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments, especially when it comes to running with a business idea you weren’t sure was going to work. But no one likes someone who has such a large ego that they won’t listen to anyone. There are tons of people who won’t listen to advice from anyone else, even when they honestly need to do so. You can show your team that your ego is in check by inviting experts in to talk to everyone – and sitting in to listen.

Be Resilient

Nothing says “bad boss” like someone who gets knocked down and doesn’t get up (or whines as he does so). There isn’t any shame in getting knocked down. It happens to everyone. Where the shame lies is in not responding to an issue. Since you know that problems happen in startups particularly, learn to anticipate them. Change is going to happen; prepare, get through it, learn something and move on. You can teach others to do this as well by always remembering to give pep talks when something bad happens in your company. Let your team know that it won’t stop you even if it does slow you down a little, and keep moving. Your employees will feel energized by your energy.