3 Mistakes Leaders Make That Kill Productivity

A recent article in the newspaper read, "U.S. unemployment rate free-falls to 3.7% - the lowest level since 1969". Yet productivity hasn't increased that much, only 1.1% every year since 2009. With productivity so low, employers aren't able to increase wages enough to outpace inflation. (Bloomberg, Oct. 2018).

I left the corporate world a few years ago. I admit to low productivity and a decrease in motivation at the time. I knew I was unhappy, but didn't know why or what to do about it. I wasn't the only one suffering and having a hard time. I remember seeking help for another employee and was told straight up, "we don't care if an employee is unhappy, if they aren't performing you need to work them out of the business". I didn't believe it though. I believe leaders care, they just don't know what to do about it. I chose to go back to school and find a solution. What I learned changed my life, maybe it will change yours.

3 Mistakes Leaders Make That Kill Productivity:

1) Not expressing WHY (motivation and intentions). Everything begins with WHY? Think about the last time someone asked something of you. Your mind goes immediately to why? It's how we are wired. Our brain makes snap judgments before sending messages to different parts of the body to form a reaction. With my godson it started roughly when he began to talk. "Why? Why? Why?" He wasn't asking specifically for an explanation. What he really wanted to know was why was it important to me? The answer gave him a lot of information and helped him figure out WHY for himself. Lack of engagement often starts with a loss of WHY and when importance becomes fuzzy. Expressing WHY sometimes takes courage because motivation involves emotion, which engages the heart. It has the power to move people in ways simple words can't. Stating WHY, meaning it and modelling it is more impactful when trying to engage employees to increase productivity. The brain will work in clusters, so having all 3 is important. If something doesn't line up, the brain won't believe it, neither will anyone else. In sales it is said; sell the first link in the chain. If you do, you sell the whole chain. WHY is the first link.

2) Lack of enterprise focus. The big picture. Where are you taking them and what's in it for them? What will they have? It isn't money. Money is a demotivator, everybody literally gives it away. All decisions are based on emotion because that's how the brain works. There are 7 primary emotions: happy, sad, anger, fear, disgust, surprise and contempt. When you break it down it is really only two: happy and unhappy. The prefrontal cortex deals with positive emotions, while the amygdala (fight, flight or fright), deals with negative. (humanillnesses.com). Enterprise focus is painting an emotional picture that is so big everybody in the world can see it and will want to help you achieve it because they can see what's in it for them. Most limit their vision and don't make the vision big enough or is operational focus. Operational focus kills creativity and hampers productivity. People are smart, if they know WHY they will figure out how. However, they will quickly go to "where are we going?", especially when following someone else. If you don't believe me, ask a teenager. They won't leave a room unless they know where they're going and what's in it for them.

3) Lack of trust. Trust is like trying to solve the chicken and egg conundrum, who came first? A leader has to go first, that's why they're the leader. Trust technically comes before WHY as the first link in a chain. There won't be a chain without trust. However, trust must come from within, it's an internal relationship as well as an external one. Trust is the first snap judgment we make in evaluating someone. With the ability to deny access or make a connection, trust links two chains. Control is necessary when WHY isn't expressed or understood and when they don't know where they are going, which exasperates trust even further. Control will kill productivity.

Communicating your WHY and make it personal. It's the first link in a chain. When others hear it, see it and can feel it, it will help them find their own motivator. Have an Enterprise Focus, a picture so big everyone, everywhere can see it and feel it. People are smart, they can figure out how and how to become part of it. They may surprise you and exceed your expectations. Trust them and they will trust you. It's how the brain works. Steve Jobs said it best: "It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do."

The rule of 7: There are 7 musical notes, 7 colours in a rainbow, 7 energy chakras, 7 sacred directions, 7 sins, 7 primary emotions and the list can go on. 7 is a magical number. It also helps to hear something at least 7 times because we are more likely to believe and focus on it.

Lurinda Rinehart, CEC

LifeStrong Consulting - Higher Results Faster

The Coaching Professionals