Here’s a classic example of motivation gone wrong - a big Australian company that once placed large stickers on employee’s desks declaring them “not competent” (as told to me by a friend and ex-employee of the company).
Now, while most of us could look at this example and clearly see that it’s not going to do much for motivation, as a leader in your organisation, do you recognise when you’re doing this in other, subtler ways?
I know I don’t always.
A criticism might slip from my lips in front of the whole office when it could have been delivered directly to the person in question in private.
A well-deserved opportunity for praise may pass unnoticed, despite feeling great appreciation.
A hastily typed email may not convey the jovial tone in which a comment was meant in your head.
Now, you wouldn’t go and slap a “not competent” sticker on an employee’s desk – but are you a good enough leader to recognise if you just slammed a virtual one down in their inbox or mentally imprinted it on their forehead?
And more importantly, can you adjust the behavior for next time?
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