Motivation mishaps: 3 moves that (unintenionally) de-motivate staffers

Sure, it’s important to keep your eyes out for unique ways to inspire employees, but avoiding these sneaky motivation killers is just as important. 

Here are three common mistakes that managers make:

1. Acting in an inconsistent way. Many employees are reluctant to change — especially when they have no time to prepare. When managers employ the following behaviors too often, employees will be reluctant to go the extra mile: changing rules too often, saying one thing but doing the opposite, and breaking any promises made to workers (no matter how small).
2. Holding employees back. Employees expect to move up and grow with the company. Managers who are inflexible when it comes to providing employees with new tasks and responsibilities will effectively kill their drive to succeed — and may even send them packing. To avoid pigeon-holing staffers, try cross-training initiatives.
3. Giving vague feedback. Richie in Accounting may love hearing “Nice job!” from you all of the time, but it doesn’t really give him any indication of what specifically you liked about his work — or what you want to see more of. To avoid this, be as specific as possible when it comes to your praise — and do the same with your criticism.