5 Leader Behaviors That Are Guaranteed to De-Motivate You

A major function of leaders is to help inspire and motivate followers to execute the goals of the team or collective. Psychologists have studied motivation for well over a century. As a result, we know what motivates people — and what de-motivates them. Unfortunately, too many bosses don’t understand the basic psychology of motivation, and they engage in de-motivating tactics. Here are the top five.

1. All Stick and No Carrot. Positive reinforcement is providing rewards (“carrots”) for desirable behavior. Punishment (“sticks”) is designed to stop undesirable behavior. All too often, clueless managers use punishment, and the fear of punishment, in an effort to motivate. However, punishment doesn’t spur motivation, except for the motivation to not get caught doing the wrong thing (or not doing the right thing). Over a century of research tells us that positive reinforcement is a far more effective motivation tool.

Rewarding the wrong thing. A related issue is managers rewarding the wrong thing. Make sure that workers are being rewarded for achieving goals, not for other behaviors, like their physical appearance, or attitudes (e.g., sucking up).

2. Mushroom Management: Keeping You in the Dark. There is a belief among many bosses that employees don’t want, or don’t need to know, what is going on in the organization. Their mantra is, "Just do what I tell you, without asking questions." Strategy and policies are not discussed. In reality, workers need to see the connection between the work they are doing and its impact on the organization and its overall objectives in order to be motivated and dedicated.

3. The Buddy System: Playing Favorites. Nothing kills motivation faster than a boss who plays favorites – giving attention, praise, and other rewards to those in his or her inner circle. A sense of fairness/equity is important for stimulating worker motivation. When workers feel a sense of inequity, they are motivated to make things fair. That can result in them working less hard, or even engaging in negative behaviors (e.g., goofing off, sabotage, or even theft) in order to “make things even.”

4. Telling You How, But Not Why. Motivation for most people involves engaging their brains to think not only about what they are doing, but why they are doing it. Workers, to be motivated, need to have a sense of purpose and have to see how their work connects to the efforts of others.

5. Hypocrisy: Plain and Simple. Working for a manager who tells you one thing, but does another, is de-motivating. A boss who is always taking time off or going home early, but expects you to stay (and perhaps work overtime) will kill motivation and dedication to the organization. I know of one instance in which a worker was told that the company could not hire a family member because of a “no nepotism” policy, at the same time that a manager’s wife was hired for a key position.