As a leader in your organization, you steer the ship, you provide the pace. But, there are times when your actions may come off not exactly as intended, which can cause team morale to suffer and may even make some staff members feel downright insulted.
Studies have shown that toxic bosses can cause a lot of damage to an organization and its workforce. To avoid becoming one, you need to be careful that what you say and do doesn't create a negative atmosphere.
Fifteen members of Forbes Human Resources Council share some of the more common mistakes leaders make with employees that they don’t realize can be morale killers, triggering negative feels among staff. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Not Listening
One attribute of a good leader is active listening. One of the main triggers for negative emotions is employees feeling their voices are not being heard or considered. Some leaders put forth their own agenda without understanding the employee impact. Listening isn't bowing down to their demands; it is understanding where their concerns are coming from and using communication to put them into context. - Margaret-Ann Cole, Accenture
2. Avoiding The Truth
Leaders walk a fine line between providing the truth and censoring the message to ensure the content is audience-appropriate. When a company needs to deliver bad news, honesty is the best policy. You may have some fallout regarding turnover, but you will retain the loyal ones who respect honesty. When you don't tell the truth and they find out later, you will experience turnover in larger numbers because there will be no loyalty or respect. - Tracy Bittner, SPHR, Ionic Security Inc.
3. Not Holding Them To The Same Standards
Any time rules or restrictions are not applied uniformly, it will cause friction among employees. Whether it involves metrics, conduct, PTO or dress code, management should ensure that expectations are the same for ALL employees. However, when management turns a blind eye to certain employees’ transgressions while others are held to strict standards, it can cause jealousy and feelings of resentment. - John Feldmann, Insperity
4. Lack Of Accountability
When a leader fails to hold employees accountable, it's toxic for morale. Leaders, your team sees you, and they see their peers. Letting poor performance slide or ignoring behaviors that do not meet the standard of the organization fosters distrust and disengagement, and decreases productivity. Have courage, seek resources if needed and hold employees accountable in a fair, consistent manner. - Kelly Lum, Highgate
5. Failure To Value Employees
All employees want to feel they are valued by leaders for the jobs they do. Unfortunately, some leaders have a cavalier attitude that it is not necessary to show appreciation or recognize employees "for just doing their jobs." I disagree. Employees need to know they matter to the success of the organization and letting them know their efforts are appreciated will go a long way toward building loyalty. - Kellie Graham SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Complete Children's Health
6. Lack Of Flexible Work Options
Many leaders and managers incorrectly assume that the work isn't getting done if the person isn't at their desk from 9 to 5. This can be a real morale killer and lead to disengagement and attrition. Leaders should offer flexible work options (adjusted schedules, remote work, etc.) and resources (video conferencing, chat messaging platforms) for any role that can be successful with this type of freedom. - Heather Doshay, Rainforest QA
7. Failure To Celebrate Employee Wins
Two common mistakes I see are failing to celebrate success and failing to stop bad cultural habits before they snowball. Celebrating employee wins is a lot more important than many managers realize. People need the psychological payoff of being acknowledged for their work. Whether it's gossip, over-competitiveness or a hypocritical manager, bad cultural habits can be contagious and quickly harm morale for everyone. - Steven Jiang, Hiretual
8. Inauthentic Praise
Providing empty and unspecific praise dilutes employee-leadership relationships faster than a manager who is direct but specific. Even if this feedback is negative and not delivered in a sensitive fashion, people view it as more valuable. The right balance is to be compassionate, direct and authentic. - Stacie Mallen, CampusLogic
9. Mistaking Negligence for Autonomy
A lot of leaders try to give their team members more independence and autonomy in daily operations, hoping to foster in them a greater sense of ownership. While this is a wonderful idea in theory, the execution often fails to achieve the desired result, as busy leaders become too hands-off and blindly trust that work is being done. Don't mistake negligence for autonomy. Meet regularly with your team, but trust them to make decisions. - Angela Nguyen, Ad Exchange Group
10. Not Sharing The "Why"
One of the most common morale killers is making assumptions that your team clearly understands the value and impact of the work that they are doing. In the spirit of getting work done, we may not stop to connect the dots for our teams and they may not be able to connect them on their own. I try and remind myself to do this each time I give a project. - Chatelle Lynch, McAfe
11. Command-And-Control Power Dynamics
One of the most detrimental things leaders can do is create a command-and-control power dynamic. Exceptional leaders serve employees and empower them to lead from where they are, making open communication and transparency a key element of the relationship. The clear results are increased alignment, higher quality work and better relationships — not to mention, happier, more engaged employees. - Ben Peterson, BambooHR
12. Failure To Communicate Enough
Leaders often don't communicate enough, about anything. Employees want and need to know how the business is doing, when they're performing well, areas where they could improve, how they can contribute to the team's success. Leaving things unsaid leads employees to fill in the blanks, triggers negative feelings and can create a disconnect between staff members and the organization. - Jennifer Marszalek, Havas Chicago Village
13. Avoiding Tough Decisions
It's OK to make bad hiring decisions once in a while. After all, that's what makes us human. However, it's not OK to let bad hires ruin the corporate culture. As soon as leaders realize they have made a bad hire, they should take every step to let that person go. Leaders often make this mistake of protecting their bad hiring decisions without realizing that's driving their top performers away. - Shahid Wazed, City of Edmonton
14. Not Prioritizing Time Together
Be available and be present. Leaders often focus on the work, and forget the social aspects of leadership. When you are not available or cancel and reschedule meetings, your team hears that they are not a priority. Be fully present for meetings, put away phones and computers and give your employee your full attention. Listen and encourage. Nothing builds morale like feeling heard and respected. - Meg Battle, Rabin Martin
15. Making Excuses
It's human nature to get defensive and make excuses when we do things wrong, but that's the last thing an employee wants to hear from a leader. As leaders, we should not be making excuses. Own everything you do and that your organization does. Once you take that leadership position, you're no longer a renter, you're an owner — so act like it. - Lotus Yon, NCH
