We’ve talked about team motivation in previous Leader Feeder episodes, but we haven’t talked about demotivation – the things you do as a leader that can actually demotivate your team. These demotivators should be eliminated first before you worry about how to motivate your team.
Here are a few of the top demotivators to avoid as a front line leader.
1. Giving everyone the same jobs all the time. After all, if they specialize in one task over the others they can get faster. But because employees tend to get bored, your job as the leader is to cross train and provide variety to the team so they feel good about their work and stay engaged.
2. Being an answer dispenser. That is, giving all the answers instead of encouraging your team members to think for themselves. Not only does this create a lot of pressure on you as a leader, but it keeps your team from feeling like they can do things on their own. Let them come to you with solutions and ideas instead of you answering all their questions.
3. Playing favorites and avoiding some employees who you might not like on a personal level. This will create a rift in your team and destroy teamwork. It’s important for you as a leader to talk to all of your people and treat them equally.
4. Keep them in the dark and only tell them what they need to know on a bare minimum basis. You need to be their source of information across the organization.
By looking at some of these demotivators and removing them from your leadership actions you'll actually increase the motivation of your team. Click To Tweet
When your team is more motivated, they’ll actually perform better.
What demotivators have you seen in your experience? Share your comments.
