MARVIN LEBLANC
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • WORK WITH MARVIN
    • KEYNOTES
    • CONSULTING
    • Planners and Bureaus
  • SHOP
    • HARDCOVERS & PAPERBACKS
    • EBOOKS
    • AUDIOBOOK/MP3
    • COACHING/CONSULTATION PACKAGES
    • GROUP ORDERS (+10)
  • BLOGS
  • PODCAST
  • FREEBIES
    • Recipes
  • Contact

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

6 Ways You Are Accidentally Demotivating and Demoralizing Employees

3/16/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
By: Jennifer Ledet

Now, I’m sure that you’re thinking to yourself that you don’t destroy your team members’ work. And I’m sure you don’t literally do that. But maybe, just maybe, you’re creating an environment where it feels like you’re destroying their work.
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who was punished for chronic deceitfulness by being forced to roll a huge boulder up a hill. Each time he got near the top, the gods would roll it back down the hill. He was forced to keep repeating this action for all eternity.
​
The story of Sisyphus illustrates how frustrating it is for employees to continuously struggle in their work, seeing absolutely no purpose or value in it. Dan Ariely conducted a study recently with the Sisyphus myth in mind. I won’t go into the details of the study, but the upshot was that employees were totally demotivated when their leader destroyed their work right in front of them. (Does the futility of doing housework come to mind for you too?)

Think about the following scenario described to me by Jeanne, a team member of a client organization:
“Tom, my boss, came to me late on a Thursday afternoon with a project that needed to be rushed to the client by Monday morning. I stayed late on Thursday evening to work on it, continued all day Friday, and even came in over the weekend to get it done. I had the completed project sitting on Tom’s desk when he came in Monday morning. And guess what Tom said to me? Absolutely nothing! He never mentioned whether he was pleased with the results, the fact that I’d pulled out all the stops to get it done, or whether he’d even looked at it!”

Wow. I can only imagine that Jeanne must’ve felt like Tom had just destroyed her work right before her eyes! Do you think that Jeanne will likely pull out all the stops next time Tom comes to her with an urgent project? I doubt it.

Think about what kind of work environment you are creating. That’s right. You, the leader, are creating the work environment. Your actions often determine the level of employee engagement, commitment, and buy-in that you have from team members.

So, ask yourself these six questions to see if you may be accidentally demoralizing or demotivating your employees:
  • Do I give ongoing feedback, or do I assume that team members know that I am pleased with their work?
  • Am I, for lack of a better term, a control freak? (Be honest.) Do I redo team members’ work after they’ve completed it?
  • Do I acknowledge the efforts of team members, not just the results that they achieve?
  • Do I show team members the big picture? Do I connect the dots for them and show them how/where their contribution fits into the overall goals of the organization?
  • Do I trust team members to do quality work without micromanaging them?
  • Do I require team members to roll very large rocks uphill over and over again?

Remember Sisyphus and my friend Jeanne. The fact is, it is easy to demotivate and demoralize team members. It takes a tad more effort to get them fired up and engaged.  So I guess you’ll be getting rid of that big boulder in your office, right?

Question for you: How do you get team members engaged and inspired?

Picture

About The Author

Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication. In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Attitude And Personal Development
    Insurance Focused
    Marvelous Moments
    Performance And Productivity
    Small Business Leadership
    Small Business Sales
    Spiritual Matters
    Teamwork

      Join the MPS Family Today!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Picture
    View my profile on LinkedIn


    ​

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

Picture
Picture
Picture
Hire Marvin LeBlanc on eSpeakers Marketplace

What Our Clients Are Saying

​"I worked with Marvin on many occasions in client meetings. The vision and professionalism, along with his personal attention and caring, were first class. I enjoyed learning from him during my time with Phoenix. He is a true leader and visionary."  
​Lynella Devillier, Wealth Management Consultant, Phoenix Wealth Management

Meeting Planners & Bureaus

FAQ

Testimonials

Free Resources

Picture

Contact Us

(855) 441-0288

Subscribe
Join our mailing list today!

Join Now
Copyright © 2018 Marvelous Performance Systems
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • WORK WITH MARVIN
    • KEYNOTES
    • CONSULTING
    • Planners and Bureaus
  • SHOP
    • HARDCOVERS & PAPERBACKS
    • EBOOKS
    • AUDIOBOOK/MP3
    • COACHING/CONSULTATION PACKAGES
    • GROUP ORDERS (+10)
  • BLOGS
  • PODCAST
  • FREEBIES
    • Recipes
  • Contact

Amazon #1 Bestseller Come Hell or High Water (Book)

Picture
Are you struggling in your sales career, with running a successful business or with overcoming adversity in your personal life?
 
​You'll laugh, you'll think, and you'll ACT differently after reading and implementing the valuable ideas that Marvin shares inside.
Purchase Now