No one would de-motivate their team intentionally, right?  But we see it happen so often in owner managed businesses.  The latest research shows that entrepreneurs are currently so focussed on the bottom line; they don’t see what impact their personal actions are having on their team.  They are concentrating on getting their employees more motivated, rather than recognising and getting rid of their own de-motivating habits.

As the business owner/manager, ask yourself the following questions (and give truthful answers!) to find out if you’re de-motivating your team.

Does my team know what’s important to me? They won’t if you change your mind on an issue several times a day or give them directions which contradict previous ones.  Keeping your team guessing may keep them alert, but it is highly de-motivating.

Do I explain my actions? Just because you are the boss, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to explain your actions. Your team are watching you carefully, but they can’t see what’s going on in your mind.  Non-specific directions like “make it better” or “get it right next time” are not helpful or motivational.

Do I only hire people who will follow my instructions? Or reprimand team members for taking any initiative that I personally did not authorise? Your team may appreciate having a job in these tough economic times, but they won’t be motivated to show any initiative to help lead your business through the competitive minefield.

Do I keep people on their toes with the threat of consequences? Ensuring people understand consequences are one thing, making threats is another.  Even implied threats are de-motivating, yet the latest research shows that a majority of employees say their manager holds threats over them on a routine basis.

Do I talk more than listen at team meetings? Do you believe that team meetings are for delivering the latest decisions and that it’s more important that your team listens intently, than deliver input?  You may also ask them to bring you up to date on what they’ve been emailing you, but you’ve been too busy to read!

Do I agree to targets and then stretch them? Upon hearing the latest sales projections, you can’t resist adding a “stretch” objective, just to keep people challenged!  Changing the goalposts, for whatever reason, is highly de-motivating.

If you recognise yourself in any of these points, re-think your own behaviour NOW to root out any unintentional or intentional de-motivational habits.  Motivation is one of the most powerful driving forces toward entrepreneurial success.  From your team’s perspective, it’s time to move to the positive side of the motivation curve.  In these tough competitive times, you need all the help you can get, and you won’t get much from a de-motivated team.