Five Common Mistakes Managers Can Make Which Kill Morale, Motivation And Engagement

Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner

What is morale like in your organisation?

What is morale like in your team?

And if an organisation is facing a lot of tough challenges, restructuring, or jobs are under pressure, is it possible to maintain strong morale despite the situation?

Whilst the tone for the type of place you work in has to be set at the very top, it's the job of the managers to implement day in, day out. They're the "front line"; their behaviours and expectations will set the standards for how people feel and respond to all sorts of situations.

Can a manager improve morale regardless of circumstances?

Yes. I believe they can.

Being a manager is always a challenge. Managing the people bit is always tricky, but maintaining morale, engagement and motivation is a critical part of any manager's role.

Even in good times a manager needs to maintain engagement and minimise complacency. When business is slow, or there's lots of internal change and pressure, a manager needs to know how to respond and work with their team in such a way as to keep people on board.

Whatever the strategy for the team or organisation .... A manager has to win hearts and minds if he or she wants to see their team perform at their best.

But building such high performing teams doesn't happen accidentally.

It is the result of behaviours, values and beliefs which underpin the way people work together. Sometimes these values or beliefs are unspoken, sometimes they operate at an almost sub-conscious level: but they are still affecting the attitudes, behaviours and performance of every single individual within the team and wider organisation. It's up to the manager to communicate "How we do things around here".

Sometimes, however, despite the best of intentions, despite setting and clearly communicating the expectations and vision for how people work together, some things sabotage the results. Take a look at the following and see if any of these apply to you or your organisation.

FIVE COMMON "KILLERS" OF MORALE

1. INCONGRUENT ACTIONS When the boss does or says one thing - then turns around and does or reinforces the opposite, employees are quick to see the inconsistencies. The more your staff see this happen, the more they lose respect for and trust in the individual manager or the wider organisation. High trust environments are built on consistent and congruent actions. Erosion of trust dampens morale and creates negative emotions inconsistent with high productivity.

2. NO ACTION Another common failing is leaders who "talk a good talk" - that is they state grand visions, plaster values and belief statements everywhere - but then take little or no action to ensure these grand statements are actually followed through. It is hard to expect your staff to take vision statements seriously when staff see that nothing actually happens. They can be forgiven for thinking "we've heard this all before", or "here goes yet another meaningless initiative." Managers must act on their vision - and they must act in a reasonable time frame.

3. OVERCOMPLICATING THE VISION Sometimes leaders state visions so complicated people can barely read them - let alone remember them. If people can't remember the vision, chances are it isn't simple enough.

4. LOST IN DETAIL Some managers are so detail oriented that they simply find it hard to understand the idea of vision. They are consumed by detail, and give little attention to thinking about tomorrow and the "big picture" in a creative way. It's not that details aren't important, but they should not be the sole focus.

5. SABOTAGING THE VISION Sometimes, some people within the organisation try to sabotage the vision. They understand it, but try to work in the opposite direction. Other people know they are doing this; and they expect the leadership does too. If nothing is done to stop these efforts then those who are genuinely trying to adhere to the vision end up thinking, "What's the use?" Managers must act swiftly when they see this happening. And it begins, not with a reprimand, but with a question - to understand why people are behaving in this way.

Do any of these exist in your team or your organisation?

By taking time to uncover some of these "morale killers", and taking steps to change things, a manager can improve morale - at least within his or her own team, and sometimes, even despite morale issues in the wider organisation.

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