5 Sure-fire Ways to Demotivate your Workforce.

One of the primary differences between a good leader and a great leader is in the area of motivation.  A good leader has the ability to motivate people to take action, while a great leader has the ability to make the other person happy about doing the thing that you suggest. 

In a previous article, I discussed several tips on how to motivate people. (http://leansixsigmaconsulting.blogspot.com/2016/05/4-tips-on-how-to-motivate-your-people.html) I received several very good comments and it spurred much discussion. However one particular comment stuck with me. It was in regards to how do you know if you are a “good motivator”. In my response, I started to list things not to do. I typically like to talk in a positive perspective but sometimes it is easier to relate to behaviors that don’t work.

Therefore, following are 5 sure-fire ways leaders can ensure that they demotivate their work force.

1.    Use your positional power as a manager in a way that shows you don’t respect your employees as people.  

Ignore employee’s suggestions for how to improve operations.  Don’t return their messages and never show up for a meeting on time. These might seem like small things today’s busy executive, but they scream “lack of respect” to your workforce.

2.   Take credit for your employees work.

 This is guaranteed way to disenfranchise your team.  Good managers are secure enough to give full credit where it’s due.

3.   Lose your temper

This behavior creates a very unappealing work environment.  Lost tempers are often followed by lost loyalty; after all it is difficult to trust the person yelling at you.

4.   Don’t stand up for your employees when under personal or organizational attack  

Your employees will want and expect you to defend them.  Teammates need to stand up for each other. This also includes the concept of; praise publicly and constructively criticize in private. If you don’t, they’ll remember it.

5.   Be emotionally stingy

People like praise.  They want to know they’re doing a good job and are valued.  Simple words of encouragement are easy, inexpensive and can be motivational.

Avoiding these pitfalls and emotional behaviors can help motivate your teams and will help differentiate yourself from being only good to becoming a great leader.

5 Simple Networking and/or Leadership Tips for the Shy

Earlier this week, I was discussing some techniques in increase networking effectiveness with an old school colleague. Jennifer is highly intelligent, well spoken and extremely articulate. She is also quite shy. As we discussed different tactics to increase her networking scope, it struck me that our conversation constantly shifted back and forth between tips for networking and tips for leadership. In fact, the more we discussed the more we discovered the points are interchangeable.

Following is a summary of the top 5 tips for Networking and/or Leadership for the shy.

1)   Be a good listener; encourage others to talk about themselves.

Being an active listener is one of the top skills of respected leaders.  Embrace your shy nature to listen before you talk. This technique also provides details and insights into what is important to the other person. Building your conversation on a framework of concepts and ideas that is important to the other person helps to quickly build a relationship and make the discussion seem more conversational rather than rigid.

2)   Get out of your comfort zone

Force yourself to participate in “small talk”, even if you don’t see an immediate advantage. Attend networking events sponsored by your local chamber of commerce or volunteer for community programs that will put you in situations where you need to talk in public or to people outside your normal sphere of colleagues. People will begin to see you as a leader both within and outside of your organization.

3)   Pre-event research

Be prepared. Shy people get nervous in situations they are not comfortable in. Have a mental list of current events, customer tid-bits or any other interesting facts to help break the ice or rescue a conversation if it starts to go sideways.  Doing pre-event research will increase your confidence level and help conversations flow better. Effective communication is a key attribute of all leaders, but nowhere does it say that you can’t do your homework ahead of time.

4)    Initiate an action

There is a limit to your networking capabilities and the ability to build trust in a group setting. Suggest meeting the person for a cup of coffee in an informal, less busy setting. Shy people tend to be much more relaxed one on one rather than in a large crowd. Remember step #1, so you have something to talk about.

5)   Exit strategy

Not every conversation, regardless of the preparation, goes as plan. In a networking event, you can always excuse yourself if they have lost interest or there doesn’t seem to be a connection. However, do so in a way that maintains professionalism and doesn’t give the impression that the other person was not important.

Shy people often avoid situations that take them out of their comfort zone; it increases stress causing them to typically under perform. Following these 5 simple tips you can successfully increase your sphere of influence in both the networking and leadership arenas.

4 Tips on How to Motivate Your People

Fundamental to being a good leader is the ability to win people’s cooperation. Motivation is about moving people to act in a way that achieves a specific and immediate goal. When you’re motivating people to do something they may not necessarily want to do, you have to offer them something they want in return.

By following these simple steps, business leaders can increase the level of motivation as well as create a culture where change is embraced and celebrated.

1.    Align individual economic interests with company performance.

Ensuring that the individual goals and interest are aligned with the corporate roadmap will allow for a better understanding of “Why” what you are asking to be accomplished is important. This tactic helps answer the financial WIFM (What‘s in it for Me) question. Incentive compensation programs that give employees a chance to benefit when a company prospers can boost motivation.

2. Take a genuine interest in the future path of an employee’s career 

One of the main drivers in why individuals decide to stay or leave a company is the relationship with their manager. Mentoring, coaching and training are easy ways to demonstrate the value you have for an employee. When employees believe that their managers are truly interested in their careers they are far more motivated.

3.  Listen

Actively and thoughtfully listening caries a lot of weight with your employees. There is nothing more frustrating and demotivating than to have all of your wonderful ideas for improvement ignored. Would you keep offering suggestions if you felt that your manager didn’t heave the respect to listen?

4. Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

The golden rule is called the golden rule for a reason. Respect your employees and the jobs they do. People are far more motivated if they believe that their manager and the organization they work for has a fundamental level of respect for their contributions.

Dale Carnegie captured the concept of employee motivation very succinctly in his famous quote “Arouse in the other person an eager want”.  People consent to help for their own reasons, not ours. If we make it clear how our ideas will benefit them, there is no limit to the cooperation we could receive.  By following these 4 guiding principles, you can successful motivate your employees and achieve your objectives.