Travis Bradberry* says many managers are complaining about lack of staff loyalty when, in fact, the problem may lie with them.
Few things are as costly and disruptive as leaders who kill morale.
Demotivated employees under-perform, then walk out the door at the first opportunity.
The scariest thing is how prevalent this lack of motivation is.
Gallup research shows that 70 per cent of employees consider themselves to be disengaged at work.
Organisations know how important it is to have motivated, engaged employees, but most fail to hold leaders accountable for making it happen.
Gallup research shows a mind-boggling 70 per cent of an employee’s motivation is influenced by his or her manager.
Before leaders can start creating motivated, engaged employees, there are some critical things they need to stop doing.
Making a lot of stupid rules
Rules are needed, but they don’t have to be short- sighted and lazy attempts at creating order.
Whether it’s an over-zealous attendance policy or taking employees’ frequent flier points, even a couple of unnecessary rules can drive people crazy.
Letting accomplishments go unrecognised
It’s easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back.
Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those who work hard and give their all.
Rewarding individual accomplishments shows you’re paying attention.
Hiring and promoting the wrong people
Good, hard-working employees want to work with like-minded professionals.
When managers don’t do the hard work of hiring good people, it’s a major demotivator for those stuck working alongside them.
Promoting the wrong people is even worse.
When you work your tail off only to get passed over for a promotion given to someone who glad-handed their way to the top, it’s a massive insult.
Treating everyone equally
While this tactic works with children, the workplace ought to function differently.
Treating everyone equally shows your top performers that no matter how high they perform, they will be treated the same as the bozo who does little more than punch the clock.
Tolerating poor performance
It’s said that in jazz bands, the band is only as good as its worst player.
The same goes for an organisation.
When you permit weak links to exist without consequence, they drag everyone else down, especially your top performers.
Going back on their commitments
Making promises to people places you on the fine line between making them very happy and watching them walk out the door.
When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and honourable.
When you disregard your commitment, you come across as slimy, uncaring, and disrespectful.
After all, if the boss doesn’t honour his or her commitments, why should anyone else?
Being apathetic
More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss.
Smart organisations make certain their managers know how to balance being professional with being human.
Bosses who fail to really care will always have high turnover rates.
It’s impossible to work for someone eight-plus hours a day when they aren’t personally involved and don’t care about anything other than your productivity.
Once leaders have eradicated these negative traits, it’s time to replace them with behaviour that makes people love their jobs.
Follow the Platinum Rule
The Golden Rule of treating others as you want to be treated has a fatal flaw.
It assumes all people want to be treated the same way, ignoring the fact that people are motivated by vastly different things.
The Platinum Rule (treat others as they want to be treated) corrects that flaw.
Good managers are great at reading other people, and they adjust their behaviour and style accordingly.
Be strong without being harsh
People need courage in their leaders.
They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over the good of the group.
However, a lot of leaders mistake domineering, controlling, and otherwise harsh behaviour for strength.
Strength isn’t something you can force on people; it’s something you earn by demonstrating it time and again in the face of adversity.
Remember that communication is a two-way street
Many managers think they’re great communicators, not realising they’re only communicating in one direction.
Some managers don’t set goals or provide context for the things they ask people to do, and others never offer feedback, leaving people wondering if they’re more likely to get promoted or fired.
Be a role model, not a preacher
Great leaders inspire trust and admiration through their actions, not just their words.
Many leaders say that integrity is important to them, but great leaders walk their talk by demonstrating integrity every day.
Harping on people all day long about the behaviour you want to see has a tiny fraction of the impact you achieve by demonstrating that behaviour yourself.
Be transparent
Good managers are transparent and forthcoming about goals, expectations, and plans.
When managers try to sugar-coat, mask, or euphemise in order to make things seem better than they are, employees see right through it.
Be humble
Few things kill motivation as quickly as a boss’s arrogance.
Great bosses don’t act as though they’re better than you, because they don’t think they’re better than you.
Rather than being a source of prestige, they see their leadership position as bringing them additional accountability for serving those who follow them.
Take a genuine interest in employees’ work-life balance
Nothing burns good employees out quite like overworking them.
It’s so tempting to work your best people hard that managers frequently fall into this trap.
Overworking good employees is perplexing to them; it makes them feel as if they’re being punished for their great performance.
If you cultivate the characteristics above and avoid the demotivators, you’ll become the kind of boss that people remember for the rest of their careers.
*Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the co-founder of TalentSmart. He can be contacted at talentsmart.com.
This article first appeared at talentsmart.com
