By this time of the year, you’re tired, and so is your team. Trust us, we get it. In fact, we’re barreling into our busiest season—ready or not here it comes.

So, how do you combat the seemingly unavoidable end-of-the-year crash that plagues your team and impacts your numbers? By keeping morale high. But it takes a little more than hosting a company-wide event and calling it a day. To truly keep spirits lifted with an effective form of motivation, you have to dig down to the root of it—what drives everyone.

When it comes to motivating your team, it’s imperative to understand that there is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Think of it in terms of selling. Just like you can’t sell all prospects the same way, you can’t use the same forms of motivation for every employee. Each one of your team members is a unique individual with a distinct set of goals and dreams. Knowing a person’s why is the greatest asset any leader can possess. Someone’s reason for working hard will either be extrinsically or intrinsically motivated.

After you’ve determined what truly drives each member of your team, you can consider the best course of action for motivation. Below are a few of the most practiced motivators that team leaders utilize.

• • Team building events (e.g. bar crawl, Happy Hour, scavenger hunt).
  • Public recognition/awards (e.g. sales gong, President’s Club, caller of the month).
  • Financial compensation (e.g. monthly/yearly bonus, sports/concert tickets, all-inclusive trips).
  • Leadership opportunities (e.g. promotions from within, clear objectives of how to reach the next level, future leaders training course).

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After a long year, the threat of burning out isn’t a surprise. But by knowing the ins and outs of what makes your team successful, you’ll be able to keep the spirits and motivation high throughput the year, and nip an end-of-the-year slump before it even occurs.