* Micro-managing- No employee needs micro managing if you have hired correctly in the first place. Autonomy makes employees happy and self motivated
* Not praising for working hard…..this is the number 1 reason why employees leave their jobs! Everyone wants praise and acknowledgment
* Expecting staff to work overtime and not praise them
* Talking about the negative! If a member of staff needs to be disciplined, follow the build, burn, build rule and always praise before criticising and then praise again!
* Leaving staff to their own devices! Although autonomy is very important, it is more important to set your staff goals, objectives and targets first for them to work towards and have regular follow up meetings to ensure staff are on the right track
* Not providing any training! The most common mistake managers make is expecting their staff to know everything without any training! A trained workforce is a more productive workforce, more motivated and therefore making you more money!
* Incentivising with money only…as I keep mentioning employees have other drivers including praise and recognition!
* Making your staff feel dispensable….this is the number 1 cause for de-motivation and a motivated workforce means a productive workforce, which is better for you!
* Not leading by example….if you expect your staff to work late, you need to work late! If you want your staff to work hard you need to lead them and work hard yourself. If you want them in early, you must set that example!
* Not taking the blame yourself! You are 100% at CAUSE if your staff aren’t working effectively. Rather than shouting at the team, look at yourself and work out what changes you can make to communicate with the team better and lead them better.
* Not treating and rewarding employees! As a manager it is your responsibility to have a happy and motivated workforce and one of the easiest ways is to thank the team either with after work drinks, end of ¼ meal or other fun activities!
* Not understanding the different team members drivers…as a manger you must learn how each person in your team ticks, what keeps them motivated, how would you communicate with each one differently for example
* Letting bullying continue……if there is a workplace bully, you MUST discipline them as if they cause half your team to leave you will be left with no employees and a negative work place
* Not letting your team have lunch or go to the gym……..people need to eat and do exercise if you want them to work at their peak! As a manager you should encourage autonomy and flexibility as your employees will be happier and therefore work harder for you. You MUST encourage a work-life balance
* Treating staff like slaves! These are human beings with needs! Please respect your employees if they have a doctor appointment/dentist appointment/funeral etc
* Being TOO nice! If you act like a walk over, you will be walked over! Show discipline WHEN appropriate (i.e. to the workplace bully) and you will be RESPECTED. Management is all about respect.
* Being a BULLY! A manager should never Bully the team! Treat people with respect and they will respect you. Always follow the BUILD, BURN, BUILD rule!
* Not having an open door policy. As a manager you should encourage your staff to ask you questions and ask for your help! The reason you are in your position is because you have been successful and you should encourage your team to be successful
* Having an EGO and wanting the praise for your team’s achievements. Remember their success is YOUR success! Get rid of the ego!
* Never being around and working from home! You must have control of your teams movements and they should see you working hard!
* Getting STRESSED at work. A manager must keep their cool at all times.. If you need to release go into another room, toilet etc and take deep breaths! Your composure in stressful situations is VITAL!
* Having obvious favourites within the team! How is this meant to motivate the rest of the team when one person gets away with everything! Treat everyone fairly and the same!
* Not praising the top performer! Please don’t forget to praise the top performer as it becomes all too easy to take them for granted but remember they are being poached by the competition so make sure you look after them but not favourtize! Make sure they are well rewarded for their efforts.
* Sleeping with a member of the team! This is an absolute NO NO! NO flirting or anything with a member of your team. Act professional at all times
* Getting drunk at the Christmas party. How are your team meant to respect you if you are getting drunk with them. A manager must stay professional and act professional with the team at all times
* Not having a clear strategic direction or knowing what the business wants to achieve! How can you motivate a team of people to produce results when you have no idea what the results are and should be!
* Thinking that the same management style and approach will work for each team member the same! Everyone is different! Think about how best to communicate with each one
* Not having FUN! Fun should be a top priority in a workplace as it makes people work harder for you!
* Being in an obvious bad mood! This just brings the whole company down with you!
* Being tight! If your team need new stationary, IT equipment or other resources to make them more successful, provide them don’t deny them!
* Forgetting birthdays! Always try and celebrate as many times as possible with the team including cake and cards on people’s birthdays!
* Letting employee’s with bad attitudes stay. These people bring down the emotions of the rest of the team and act as poison! You must remove them as quickly as possible but always FIRST look to yourself! What can you do differently to ensure the person creating the negative energy can be more positive
Written by Emma Vites
Follow: https://twitter.com/#!/emmavites
