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🏅 How and Why to Engage Your Team with Contests

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ThaĂ­s Abella
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Summary

 

Introduction

Running internal contests is one of the most powerful tools to engage your team, boost performance, and align behaviors with company goals. But how do you make sure everyone feels motivated? And how do you ensure the contests are worth the time and effort to manage?

Let’s walk through best practices that turn contests into a strategic advantage for your business.

 

Why Contests Work

Contests aren’t just a fun add-on! They’re a proven performance booster. According to research by Gallup, teams that feel recognized are 20% more productive, and organizations with high employee engagement see 21% higher profitability. Internal contests tap into this dynamic by making recognition visible, goal-tracking tangible, and participation fun. 

When done right, contests can increase results by 10–15%, improve morale, and create alignment across departments, making them one of the simplest and most impactful tools to drive business growth. 

Now that you are ready to boost your company's result, let's talk about the best practices!

 

đŸ„‡ Use Multi-Goal Contests to Keep Everyone in the Game

The best way to engage your team and drive results is through a multi-goal contest structure. Why? Because it allows every team member—not just the top performer—to have a real shot at earning a prize.

In a multi-goal contest, you define three levels of achievement:

Baseline Goal – A minimum performance target that's achievable for most.

Challenging Goal – A stretch target that demands extra effort.

Top Performer Goal – An elite target for your high achievers.

This structure allows everyone to participate meaningfully, including new hires still ramping up. It fosters a sense of fairness and ongoing motivation, reducing discouragement among those who might not be in the top 10%—yet.

In short: multi-goal contests are contests for everyone.

 

📣 Visibility Drives Engagement: Don’t Let Contests Go Unnoticed

One of the most common reasons contests fail? People forget they exist.

Solution: create a buzz. Use your internal channels like Teams or Slack to announce contests at the beginning of each month. Then, update everyone weekly with a fun, informal leaderboard thread. Include playful updates like:

  • “Whoa, Mary is taking the lead this week! Who’s coming for her spot?”
  • “John’s been quiet
 could he be preparing for a surprise comeback?”

By injecting energy into these updates, you keep the contest top of mind and turn it into a cultural moment—not just a performance metric.

💡 You’re tracking KPIs anyway—why not spend 15 minutes posting about the contest and possibly boost results by 10–15%?

 

📈 Align Contests with Quarterly Company Goals

Contests shouldn’t be static. Just like your goals shift each quarter, your contests should evolve too.

Every three months, review your company’s current priorities and adjust your contests accordingly:

  • Want more efficiency? → Run a contest for resolved tickets.
  • Need more revenue? → Launch a contest for closed deals.
  • Focusing on online presence? → Try a Google review contest.
  • Want to boost culture and morale? → Go for a badge or peer-recognition contest.

Contests are a way to gamify your business strategy. Keep them relevant.

 

⏱ Worried About Manual Updates? Don’t Be.

We get it—updating results manually can feel like a chore. But here’s the truth:

If you’re already tracking results, updating a contest should only take 15–30 minutes per week.

That’s a small investment for a big return in productivity, morale, and alignment. Use a recurring calendar block and treat it like part of your normal performance tracking routine.

 

đŸ‘„ Customize Contests for Different Teams and Roles

Different teams have different goals—and that’s totally fine.

If you have departments with unique workflows or KPIs, create tailored contests for each one. For example:

  • Sales team: Closed deals
  • Support team: CSAT scores or ticket resolution
  • Marketing: Leads generated or campaign launches
  • Admins/HR: Project completion or culture-building initiatives

This flexibility means there’s no excuse not to run contests. Everyone can be included in a way that makes sense for their job.

 

Conclusion

Contests are more than just fun, they’re strategic tools to increase results, morale, and alignment. With the right structure (like multi-goals), consistent visibility, and quarterly alignment, contests can become part of your performance engine.

Yes, they require a bit of time. But the return? Worth it! 

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