5 Massive Mistakes that Most Managers Make that Destroy Their Team’s Engagement

If there ever was a time when we needed more positive leadership, it’s now!

It’s sad that 3 out of every 4 employees say that their boss is the worst and most stressful part of their job. And it’s astonishing that 65% of employees said they would rather have a different boss instead of a pay raise. And a recent Gallup poll reported that 70% of the workforce is not actively engaged at work. The leading cause of all that disengagement is having a bad boss.

Think about the worst boss you ever had. What made them so terrible to work for?

With a picture of that person in mind, you can probably relate to these 5 massive mistakes that bad bosses make on a regular basis.

5 Massive Mistakes that Destroy Employee Engagement

1. They yell, intimidate, and embarrass employees in front of others.

2. They don’t share information that directly affects employees. They hoard knowledge as a source of their own power.

3. They play favorites; giving special favors to only a few.

4. They maintain a clear status hierarchy – meaning, they believe they are “above” doing certain kinds of work, and don’t get their hands dirty when needed.

5. They constantly point out what everyone is doing wrong, rather than focusing on what is going right.

The Critical Consequences of Poor Leadership

All of this bad boss behavior has serious consequences. First, it destroys engagement – which is a measure of how actively involved an employee is at work. We all know you can be physically present somewhere, but not fully engaged there…so disengaged employees are likely playing on Facebook, staring out the window, or looking for another job.

Second, poor leadership kills productivity. Employees who work for bad bosses admit to purposely not putting in their full effort.

Third, horrible bosses increase absenteeism. Employees are calling out sick more than ever, and most are not really sick (they just need a mental health day to get away from their boss).

And finally, bad leaders increase turnover. Good employees leave as soon as they can find a way out.

All of this costs organizations about $500 billion a year in lost productivity.

The Practice of Positive Leadership

If you have been given a position of authority you have an incredible impact on the work climate – mainly because (1) you shape the workplace culture, (2) you set an example for others, and (3) you tend to interact with the most people over the course of a day.

So your behavior matters. And you can make a difference in the rampant disengagement statistics that we see today.

NEXT STEPS

Because these principles are not commonly known or practiced today, I am offering a coaching intensive on the fundamentals of positive psychology applied to leadership. The training provides some surprising (but still very practical) strategies for leaders who want to dramatically improve their effectiveness.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

In this coaching intensive, you will learn how to:

avoid 5 common mistakes that most managers make that destroy their team’s engagement
use positive psychology to energize, inspire, and motivate your team
handle poor performers and difficult conversations more effectively
establish credibility as a promotable people leader

This training is for leaders who want to increase their resilience, strengthen their communication, build better relationships, and boost the engagement of their team. I share simple but powerful tools from the cutting-edge field of Positive Psychology that you can start applying immediately.