Poor Communication About Business Direction
People work hardest when they’re working towards something meaningful. When people start to question the point of a new project, the latest meeting, or any particular task they’ve been assigned, it can result in a considerable drop in morale and productivity.
As a leader, getting buy-in is crucial, not just from your customers or backers but from the people you’re tasking to get the work done. Ensure they’re on board, ensure they know the strategy, and be ready to answer any questions they may have about the direction.
Feeling Undervalued
Almost all of us have encountered a manager who believes that there is no need to commend people on a job well done. If you want your people to go above and beyond to excel at any given task, then you should be forthcoming with praise when they do. Little kills the dynamism of an office environment more than people who feel that their accomplishments will not be recognised no matter what effort they make.
Conflict and Office Politics
Office politics is often a touchy subject, but as a leader, it’s vital you maintain awareness of any cliques, power plays, or bullying occurring in the workplace. People don’t like to feel like outsiders, and when they do, morale will plummet. Worst of all, think of the message it sends to new hires when the same group of people seem to be getting preferential treatment because they know how to play the game.
We can’t expect everybody to get on all of the time. Still, the ones who think intimidation and playground tactics are the way to the top are not only going to bring productivity down, they’re going to earn your business a reputation as the wrong place to work.
Unfair or Unrealistic Workloads
Stress is a serious problem, and leaders should be aware of the effect it might be having on people who feel overburdened. As a leadership coach, I have encountered a significant problem across many organisations: the overreliance on a handful of “top stars” who have a reputation for getting things done. Unfortunately, this often signifies that you’ve got people more willing to put in unpaid overtime or take work home with them because they don’t want to disappoint the leaders.
Ensure that you’re giving your people some breathing space, and if you do find yourself assigning tasks to the same people, start asking questions about why others are not sharing the load?
Unapproachable Leaders
Have you ever worked in an organisation where getting five minutes of face-to-face time with the boss seemingly required months of planning? When people want to share concerns, new ideas, or discuss something important, a leader who is forever on the phone, in meetings, out of the office, or otherwise unavailable is a significant problem for motivation.
While leaders do get busy, it’s essential to be proactive in setting aside some time to talk to your people each day. We call it “Leadership by Wandering About” – taking some time each day to speak with your people, find out what their needs and wants are, and make sure that nobody is sitting on something vital.
Micromanagement
On the flip side, leaders who are far too “hands-on” in their approach can become burdensome to their people. Nobody likes feeling like they can’t even write up a report in Word without their helicopter manager hovering around to check every sentence. Micromanagers generally have good intentions, but the message they end up sending is “I don’t trust you” at best or “I think you’re incompetent” at worst.
People enjoy a bit of autonomy in how they do their jobs, and they are much more inclined to feel energised and motivated if they’ve got the support of a leader who is telling them, “I know you’ve got this.”
No Clear Path to Progression
One of the biggest demotivators in any organisation is when individuals feel they can never advance from their current position. People with the potential to climb Everest are not going to be satisfied climbing Ingleborough over and over again. It is in our nature to want to move forward. Humans seek new challenges, and facing a new challenge can be refreshing and exciting.
Even if there are no current positions available for advancement, leaders can still invest in their people with training programmes to equip them with new skills. If you make people feel that you’re thinking about their future just as much as they are, then they’ll push harder to achieve for you, rather than peruse the job ads so they can achieve for somebody else.
