MANAGEMENT SPECIAL ....What not to do when you’re trying to motivate your team

What not to do when you’re trying to motivate your team

Effectively driving your team can make them more productive, but you need to be careful about not being too superficial

When Ron Carucci, the best-selling author of eight books, including the recent Rising to Power, speaks to large groups about leadership, one question he often asks is, “How many of you have ever received a compliment from your boss that actually offended you?”

Without exception, more than two-thirds of the people in the room raise their hands. When he probes further on what people found offensive about their boss’s praise, the most common responses he hears are “It wasn’t sincere” and “They didn’t know what they were talking about.” Here are three of the most offensive forms of “motivating” that managers shouldn’t employ:

Drive-by praise

Busy managers often have to squeeze in their recognition efforts to already crowded schedules. So they’ll pop their heads into people’s offices on the way to other meetings and say things like, “Hey, great job this morning at the pipeline review.” On the surface, these efforts seem innocuous, but to recipients, they can feel impersonal, uninformed and inadequate.

Making stuff up

For instance, during a break from a meeting if an executive says to his direct report, “Just so you know, I was telling the big boss and his team this morning what an amazing job you’re doing,” and then give him what appeared to be an “I’ve got your back” wink. The only problem is that it never happened. Employees know when their managers are being insincere. Whether made-up stories are well-intended or not, they erode the employee’s trust in the leader.

Guilt gratitude

It’s incredibly awkward when a manager who feels guilty tries to overcompensate with effusive expressions of appreciation. Leaders who may have asked for a sacrificial effort to meet a deadline will reflexively say things like, “You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t gotten this to me today. I owe you!”

If you want to direct your good intentions into more meaningful expressions of recognition, consider these alternatives:

Ask for the story

Nothing affirms an employee’s great work more than a leader saying, “That was amazing. Tell me how you did it.” By asking for, and listening intently to, the story behind an accomplishment, you acknowledge that the contribution is an extension of its contributor and help them feel that they, and their work, really matter.

Contextualise gratitude

Employees lower in an organisation often can’t see how their efforts contribute to broader strategies. Tell them you appreciate their efforts not just because of how you benefit but also because of how the larger organisation benefits.

Acknowledge the cost

No substantial contribution comes without personal cost to the one making it. Whether they sacrificed time with family, took on the emotional toil of doing something new or bore the political risks of a highly visible project, let people know that you understand the toll it took.

—THE NEW YORK TIMES