jump-1238510When it comes to work these days, we’re all expected to do more with less, but is this nose-to-the-grindstone philosophy the best way to run a business? Alarmingly low employee engagement numbers indicate otherwise. So, if pushing everyone harder isn’t the path to productivity, what is?

In his new book The Optimistic Workplace: Creating an Environment that Energizes Everyone, management and leadership consultant Shawn Murphy, argues that our best work is the product of a positive environment.

“How it feels to work within an organization is a critical workforce development issue. We need more leaders who are willing to choose to set a positive tone for their teams despite what senior management isn’t doing.”

Destructive management is like a disease, draining people and infecting the whole workplace. Murphy identifies six core symptoms of destructive management, those leadership practices that crush workplace optimism. Are you guilty of any of them?

  • Symptom 1: Blind Impact. A leader who is unaware of how his/her actions, attitude and words impact others damages any opportunity for workplace optimism. He/she consistently underestimates people’s value and often fails to connect the dots between their work and organizational direction.  
  • Symptom 2: Antisocial Leadership. An antisocial leader lacks the ability to encourage, build and evolve a community of people united by a shared purpose. Autocratic and even distrustful of people, he/she often dictates what workers should do and rarely praises or even credits them for their good work. Creating a void of connectedness, this symptom tends to leave people feeling used.
  • Symptom 3: Chronic Change Resistance. What’s destructive about this symptom is the leader’s unwillingness to initiate change to help his/her team and organization remain relevant. If change is adopted, it’s usually late in the adoption curve. With this leader in charge, only incremental change is possible.
  • Symptom 4: Profit Myopia. Leaders with profit myopia cling to the outdated belief that profit is the only success measure. Their teams chase solutions that satisfy shareholders and/or short term goals, alienating customers and employees. Taking a chink out of the optimistic workplace is this leader’s narrow focus on his/her own personal income and rewards.
  • Symptom 5: Constipated Inspiration. When leaders are too focused on their own needs and insecurities, they give little attention to what employees experience at work. As a result, they don’t see what inspires or demotivates them. This symptom stems from ignorance to personal values. When leaders know what they stands for, they have a greater capacity for learning about the people on the team.
  • Symptom 6: Silo Syndrome. A leader afflicted with silo syndrome cannot see beyond his/her immediate responsibilities or see how work affects employees’ family lives. Also common is seeing people merely as a role—for example, people in sales know nothing about marketing. This mental shortcut makes it easy for a leader to devalue, disrespect or ignore employees, which makes it impossible for optimism to thrive.

Don’t kill your employees optimism. Take an honest look at your behavior this week to see what you are doing to dampen people’s enthusiasm and lower their morale. Then check back in on Friday to read Murphy’s tips for keeping optimism high at work.

Photo Credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/jump-1238510

Shawn Murphy is CEO and founder of Switch & Shift, an organization dedicated to the advancement of human-centered organizational practices and leadership.

Shawn has 20 years’ of experience working to cultivate optimism in workplace climates, as both a Fortune 100 company insider and an advisor to forward-thinking government agencies. When not consulting, he can often be found in the classroom teaching, speaking to audiences, or interviewing top thought leaders on his Work That Matters podcast.

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