4 Ways to Kill Motivation

Originally posted on Recruiter.com on November 4

Creating a motivational atmosphere and leadership isn’t always about what to do; it can very often be about what to stop doing. Employees in 85 percent of companies, significantly lose morale after the first six months in a new company. If there are strong demotivational practices going on in the office, these must be targeted and changed before true motivation and engagement can take place. The problem is, we rarely know we’re doing these things.

Enthusiasm has to start from the top. Leaders have the strong ability to either encourage or kill motivation. Regardless of hiring speakers, holding conferences or doling out tokens of appreciation, the very least leaders should do is to stop these demotivating practices.

Falling Short on the Follow-Through

Get real here. Do you ever ask about the implementation of new ideas, solicit feedback or ask about tools and projects and then do absolutely nothing with those ideas? Sure, this is most likely because there aren’t enough hours in the day, but it sends a very clear message to your staff that you completely disregarded them. Some advice from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB),

“Be sure to relay the results, even if the ideas or proposals don’t go anywhere. Asking employees for input without acknowledging it shows a lack of respect.”

Lack of Recognition

What would Fatboy Slim do? Praise you! Lack of recognition and praise are a motivation succubus. When hard work goes unnoticed or unvalued, that hard work will eventually stop. If someone can get the same paycheck and experience when they do nothing as they would when they work hard, what motivation is there to work hard? There are cows to feed and crops to water on Farmville.

Recognition is often thought to be monetary, but money is only one of the few strong motivators for most workers. Employees need to feel like their work and efforts are valued via verbal or documented recognition.

Read the rest…

photo credit: Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious via photopin cc

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.