During my 35+ years in the workplace I have seen quite a few different management and leadership styles. Some have been very inspirational while others have been something out a horror film.
From those observations I have developed a list of behaviors and attributes that will definitely demotivate your employees, inhibit productivity, lower morale and eventually drive good people out of the organization. Here they are:
1. Manage by ‘Fear & Intimidation’
- Be a bully
- Offer no praise nor acknowledgement of any contribution or accomplishments
- Berate and humiliate people publicly
- Don’t treat people with respect
- Be unpredictable in your reactions – Jekyll and Hyde
- Yell, scream and lose your temper
- Openly threaten people with their jobs
- Second guess everyone and tell them so
- Tell people they’re stupid when they offer up ideas
- Pitch an idea and then question the commitment of those who disagree with you
- Reach down to the lowest level of the organization and reprimand those people yourself
- Set unreasonable goals and objectives and hammer on people when they fall short
2. Create an Environment of No Trust
- Lie to your staff
- Openly bad mouth members of your staff to their peers
- Ask staff members to tattle on their peers
- Play Favorites
- Don’t treat everyone the same way
- Have different levels of accountability
- Openly take sides in disputes amongst staff members
- Get one side of an issue and make a decision
- Hire senior people and don’t tell others what his/her role is
- Constantly look for things that are not right and point them out in a hostile manner
- Have policies in place and then don’t follow them
3. Micromanage
- Have no faith or trust in your team – And tell them so
- Make every decision yourself regardless of how small
- Listen to no one other than your favorites
- Don’t ask for input from anyone – Just tell them
4. Don’t Communicate
- Keep everyone guessing as to the plan (Vision/Strategy)
- Don’t hold staff or employee meetings – Keep them in the dark
- Don’t provide any information as to what’s going on within the organization-
5. Constantly Change the Organizations Direction and Priorities
- Don’t follow-through on key initiatives
- Function under the ‘Flavor of the Month’ syndrome
- When asked where the organization is going, openly express your frustration and berate the individual asking the question
6. Make Promises You Have No Intention of Keeping
- Bonus Plans
- Raises
- Promotions
