3 Management Styles That Kill Employee Experience

In order for companies to grow and progress, they need fresh blood armed with new worldly skills in addition to their existing experienced workforce. The battle to attract the best, top young talent is fierce!

Therefore, it seems that employers cannot afford to allow an Employee Experience(EX) that can negatively impact the attraction, retention and engagement of this new workforce. The new workforce refuses to work in a place they are not committed to, just for the sake of making money, much more easily than the previous generation. The reasons for this are a topic for a separate blog post, but it's a fact of life and I think most of you will agree with me. Smart employers with an eye on success are already realizing that they need to create a placewhere employees actually want to work, not just where they have to work.

The most fundamental role in improvingthe Employee Experience (EX) falls to the managers of companies. On the one hand, they are trying to achieve the goals that the company expects of them, and on the other hand, they are trying to create an engaging work experience to ensure that employees contribute to these goals at the highest level. Today's managers are struggling more than ever to balance the two.

On the other hand, when teams' performance falls below expectations, sometimes what managers do with the best of intentions to motivate employees can have the opposite effect and jeopardize their success. This has a negative impact on the employee experience and also hinders the healthy progress of the organization. I would like to share with you 3 of the most common examples of these management styles that can backfire when you are trying to motivate employees with the best of intentions:

Overly Optimistic Manager: Optimism is often a powerful motivator and creates a positive Employee Experience. But sometimes difficult tasks are really difficult! The manager needs to acknowledge the difficulties employees face when dealing with these tough tasks. Making the situation seem simple, trivial or easily solved with motivational speeches can make it unmanageable for employees. When a team is struggling in their work, it is critical for the manager to lead the situation by offering useful ideas and strategies, rather than making light of the situation.

As leadership trainer and author Liz Wisemanputs it, "It's helpful for a manager to help employees get back on the right track, but it's important to remember to give the responsibility for finding solutions back to the team."

The Leading Manager: Some managers try to set an example in terms of quality, innovation, customer relations, quantity of work done, etc. and set the tone for the way their teams work. By setting a high standard, the manager expects his or her team to follow his or her perfect example and keep up the same pace. However, sometimes the opposite of the desired effect happens and this behavior model can create "Followers" instead of "Followers". Instead, recognize that everyone can make the best contribution at their own pace. Take time to recognize individuals' unique personal talents and support them to make the best use of them.

The Endless Idea Generator: Some managers, in their zeal to achieve more, constantly generate mountains of new ideas that "need to be implemented immediately". These managers think that such an approach will inspire everyone with the new and exciting opportunities it presents. But often employees are overwhelmed by the deluge of ideas and the ever-changing agenda. Too many ideas can undermine the organization and kill collective creativity. When employees are chasing and playing catch-up with new ideas and strategies, they are back to square one, where there is no development and no skill acquisition.

The role of a manager is to achieve the goals that are expected of him or her, and the key to meeting those goals lies in the ability to harness the talents of his or her staff. To develop this skill, avoid blinding optimism, create a healthy pace and encourage employee creativity.

What other management styles do you think prevent employees from having a good experience? Please share your ideas with us.

Other Blogs You May Be Interested In:

What is Employee Experience?

Employee Experience: Managing Expectation Differences

Employee Experience: It's More Complex Than You Think

3 Reasons to Care About Employee Experience in 2019

5 Ways to Guarantee a Bad Employee Experience

What is the Role of Managers in Employee Engagement?