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The Path To Leadership
We podcast about strong leaders, loyal employees, avoiding burnout, and raising profits building strong cultures. Everyone is a leader, but the path isn't always easy. Developing critical skills to build stronger, more successful and profitable organizations.
The Path To Leadership
Is Your Workplace Secretly Demotivating?
Are you feeling unmotivated at work? You're not alone, and this episode of Path to Leadership dives into the deeper truths about employee satisfaction and the common pitfalls that can lead to demotivation. In a world where workplace culture is evolving more rapidly than ever, understanding what truly motivates employees is crucial.
The discussion reveals that satisfaction is not simply about fun perks; it’s deeply rooted in having meaningful work, feeling valued, and being part of a supportive culture. Through personal stories and relatable experiences, we explore the profound impact of the pandemic on employees’ perceptions of work and purpose.
Tune in as we address a range of motivation killers from micromanagement to a lack of clear communication, ensuring that you understand how these factors can affect team dynamics and morale. We also share actionable strategies that leaders can implement today to create a more productive workplace. You’ll learn the importance of recognizing good work, encouraging open feedback, and approaching employee development in a way that prioritizes their growth and satisfaction.
Join us for this engaging conversation and take the first step toward a more fulfilling work environment. Share your own experiences, gain insights on improving motivation in your organization, and don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave us a review!
Follow Catalyst Development on LinkedIn @catalystdevelopment and @drkatieervin
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Theme music by Emma Jo https://emmajo.rocks/
Hi everyone, welcome back to the Path to Leadership. Hope you are doing well and have had a great couple weeks. We did not have a podcast last week. I snuck away with my husband and his sister and her husband on a quick cruise, so I did not get the podcast out last week, but it was so wonderful to be out in the sunshine. But so this week I am doing a solo show. This is going to be the last solo show for a little while. I have some real exciting episodes coming up Today.
Dr. Katie Ervin:I wanted to talk about the truth about employee satisfaction and motivation killers. I had done. Our recent Catalyst Development Newsletter was stop focusing on motivation and start really focusing on demotivation. What are the things that are demotivating your people? What are the things that are just chipping away at them and making them so they don't want to come to work on Monday or whatever their first day of the work week is, and I just I know I've sat in that chair where it's like on Sunday night or maybe even Sunday morning, it's like, oh, I got to go to work tomorrow and that is just a horrible feeling. Now I'm so fortunate to have my own company and so I look forward to Mondays, because Mondays are new opportunities and new engagement. But there were, you know, almost 20 years of me sitting there with that dread of going to work for a company that just only cared about production and didn't care about the people and didn't realize that the people are their greatest and biggest assets. So I really want to have you think about a time where you felt truly satisfied and motivated at work. What made that difference? What was the thing that made it so you could not wait to go to work on Mondays or every day? Like, what are the things and I say this all the time employee satisfaction is not ping pong, it's not free snacks, it's not the beer cart on Thursdays. What it is is it's meaningful work, it's strong leadership and a positive culture, and I've talked about this on past shows.
Dr. Katie Ervin:My doctoral research on workplace motivation employee satisfaction cements what I have always felt. The reason why I picked these topics to research is I knew from the work that I did in human resources that this was what it was. However, I kept coming across roadblocks from other people in management that were like, yeah, that's not important, or nobody cares, or we'll just replace them if they're not getting their job done and that's a very old school, the way it used to work, and now people have choices and options and things that they can do, and so people are not going to stay at organizations where they don't feel like they belong, they don't feel challenged or motivated, they're not happy. And it's interesting I've talked about this in some of my writings recently Going back and re-looking at my doctoral research, because I finished in 2018, and then coming back now post-pandemic, my research is even more important than it was before. The pandemic really gave people that pause to say, if my life ended tomorrow, I don't want to go like this. This is not making me happy, this is not giving me satisfaction, and so I feel like even more, the pandemic really gave us that, that dive into. Are we doing meaningful work, and meaningful work to us, and so that's that's really important in that.
Dr. Katie Ervin:That myth again of satisfaction is about perks. It's it's about pizza parties and, um, I thought we were past that. I thought we were last slapping a bandaid on things with a pizza party. Uh, and don't get me wrong, I love a good pizza party, I love pizza, I love, I love coming together and fellowship and relationship building and team building and connections. But just throwing a pizza party, just slapping some pizza in the break room is not what's going to fix it. It's having those meaningful connections and conversations around the pizza. It's building that relationship, building the trust, building the psychological safety to hold each other accountable is really important. It's about purpose Employees knowing that their work matters, that the company wants them there.
Dr. Katie Ervin:I have this conversation all the time where people say I don't need to be thanked for the job I do and it's like okay, good for you. There are different ways that people like to be appreciated and not everybody needs that personal handwritten letter, but there are people out there that do. But more importantly, people need to know that their job's important to the organization, that they're playing a role, that they're critical, that the work they're doing is meaningful and that they're not just sitting there pushing paper or whatever. And so a lot of times when I see organizations struggle or high turnover, it's like do people understand at all levels of the organization how critical they are to the organization? You know I have people say, well, I'm just. You know, katie, I'm just a dishwasher Like I'm the lowest paid person in this organization. I have people say, well, katie, I'm just a dishwasher. I'm the lowest person in this organization and it's like, yeah, just a dishwasher. Let's talk about that. If someone comes into your restaurant and the dishes are dirty and the forks are not clean and you can see lipstick on the quote-unquote clean wine glasses, people are not going to come back to your restaurant. They're going to think that you are unclean, but you are. And so we need the dishwashers to understand how critical their roles are. While they're not front-facing to the customers, they have just as much of an impact on the customer's experience as the servers, as the chefs and the cooks that are making the food. If we don't have enough clean forks, if we don't have the things that we need for people to have an enjoyable experience, that impacts the organization and the profitability in the bottom line. So that's wildly important.
Dr. Katie Ervin:People say when they feel challenged and supported, they want growth and development. I've told this story before my almost 23-year-old son. He'll be 23 here in a week and a half. You know, in his first job, his biggest concern is I don't want to be sitting in this exact same chair in five years doing the exact same thing Now. He's not asking for a promotion today. What he is saying is what is my growth? What is my development plan? How can I myself take ownership of my growth to you know, to add value to the organization and to continue to do great things, and that's from entry level all the way to the top. We want to, even if we're sitting in that C-suite. We want to know that we are challenged and that people see the work that we're doing. And again people will say I don't need that. I challenge you to think you do need that. We don't want to be in a silo by ourself just cranking out work.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Human connection is important for us, for our psyche, for our wellbeing. It's really important. Recognition and appreciation, A simple thank you, can go way further than a bonus. Now, I know everyone would like more money, everyone would like more vacation days. Not every organization can do that. It would be really great if we could. But letting people know that you appreciate the work they're doing, that they went above and beyond, that they took extra time, that they, you know, are really paying attention to the efficiency of their job. You know let's go back to the dishwasher. You know saying every once in a while like you're doing a really great job, and I know that this, you know, may not be the most glamorous job, but you are really cranking things out and it really supports the restaurant because we're never waiting on silverware. We're, you know, never having complaints of dirty dishes and that's so important to the organization and we just really appreciate the work you're doing so basic but also so appreciated, and it helps people understand why their job matters.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Fair and transparent leadership. Employees want to feel respected and heard. They want to feel like they can share feedback, that they can give ideas and thoughts and they're not going to be dismissed or, you know, cast aside. I talk about this a lot of times in my supervisor, manager and executive level programs is that it's the people down on the floor doing the work that have the best perspective of what is needed. And so often we forget when we move into these quote unquote leadership roles, when we stop working in the business and working on the business, we forget all of the things that it takes to crank out the work, and then it's important for us to ask for that feedback. I tell this story all the time.
Dr. Katie Ervin:I used to work at a casino and we had wildly high turnover in our grill area. We had this little grill that was open 24 hours and while our main restaurants closed, this was a huge revenue source, but we could not keep employees and the quality was bad and we were getting complaints on food and we were having to comp food all the time. And so, as the HR director, I worked a shift on a Friday night in the uniform. I asked the team what's the busiest shift? I, you know. I asked the team like what's the busiest shift? And you know, put me on, I'm gonna, I'm gonna work it. And it was hard work, it was exhausting, it was hot, but I was able to talk to the employees and get some feedback on some basic things, like one. The uniform was atrocious, but because I wasn't wearing the uniform all the time, I had no clue. Even though I was responsible for uniforms so basic, shifting them over to breathable polos.
Dr. Katie Ervin:They were so happy by that one little shift, paying attention to how we were cooking the food, having the executive chef in there with me and you would be like, wasn't the executive chef responsible for this? Yes, and I'm having that outside perspective to be able to ask some basic questions. You know, why are we cooking things from frozen? It is taking longer and the quality is not as good. You know, and you always get the pushback or at least I always got the pushback of you know it's a financial piece. Well, financially, if we're having to comp food, if we're having frustration and low efficiency by the workers, if we're having turnover, are we really saving any money there? And so how are we using the data that we're learning to make positive change? And so really knowing what can help our people be happier and more motivated at work is really, really important, and so let's talk a little bit about motivation killers and the things that leaders get wrong, and I believe a lot of times, based on my book, you might be an asshole, but it might not be your fault.
Dr. Katie Ervin:I think a lot of times, managers, supervisors, leaders think they are doing great things, but they're not, and it's causing lower morale, it's increasing turnover, it's causing our profit margin to go down, we're doing things that we think are beneficial that really aren't, and so we hear this all the time. The first one is micromanagement, and what happens is when people don't feel trusted in their job, when they don't feel like their manager is allowing them to do the job they were hired for, they're going feel untrusted, they're gonna lose motivation. And so the way we really fix this is we give clear expectations and then we trust our team to execute them and we don't hover over them, and we have clear lines of communication to be able to say you know, if you need me, here's how I can support you in your job. Let me know if you have questions or concerns or barriers. It's also important, as leaders, that we trust the people that we hire and know that, while they may not do the job the way we would do it, are they getting the outcomes that we're asking them to do. They may know some tips and tricks, some efficiencies. They may know ways to do it that we don't know, and so stepping out and not micromanaging will be really important.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Another motivation killer is lack of clear communication. Employees feel lost when they don't understand goals, when they don't understand what's going on in the organization, when there's lack of information, people will just fill it in with whatever they think, and so they're making up stories, and so the way we really fix this is set transparent expectations, give frequent updates and encourage two-way feedback Something I love about Patrick Lencioni in his last book that he wrote before his last book he wrote before I'm Working Genius is the motive and it's you know why are we in leadership roles? It's such a great book but he talks about through all of his work that you know. We get to a point where we're chief reminding officers, we're chief information officers, and I know that's, you know IT. But our jobs as leaders is to share information, to give updates, to get feedback, and when we don't do that, when we work in a vacuum or silo, it can be really discouraging for our employees and create some mistrust for them.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Another motivation killer is when we fail to recognize good work. People need to feel valued in the work they do or they're going to disengage. And so we want to make sure that we're recognizing the good work that people are doing. And I will tell you back in my day I was like you know what you're coming in every day, you're, you know you're, you're doing your job. You're getting paycheck on Friday. What more do you need? I tease, but it's kind of true. My husband, when I say some things, sometimes he'll be like oh man, can we call out your cold dead heart? And it's true.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Just because I didn't necessarily need it earlier in my career doesn't mean that other people don't need it. People do need to hear thank you and good job and I appreciate you. And the way I was brought up was in a military family and with therapy work going on here appreciate, shout out to my therapist. What I find is my history created how I behaved and it's like that for all of us, and so I didn't get it as a child growing up, I didn't get it early in my career, so I thought that was normal and it's not.
Dr. Katie Ervin:People want that recognition and they want it both publicly and privately. They want you to say their name and show the appreciation. It's so valuable. I say this all the time and I said this earlier in the podcast. People want growth opportunities. They want to learn new skills, they want to be mentored, they want to be grown. Employees will leave if they don't see a future in your organization. If there's no opportunity for them to grow, to move up, to gain experience, to gain influence, they're going to look other places and so creating that is so important. I've done many podcasts on that, so much of the work I do is rooted around this concept, so I won't go too far into this, but it's important.
Dr. Katie Ervin:And then the last one is tolerating bad behavior, tolerating toxicity. One single toxic employee can poison the entire organization. Again, I always tell people I love to sit next to the grumpiest people in the room, because the grumpiest people in the room have a story. They are grumpy for a reason. Some can't be fixed, some they're not going to be happy no matter what. But a lot of them don't want to be toxic, they don't want to bring the organization down, and so really understanding what's going on is really important. So we have to address negativity, bad behavior and misalignment as early as possible.
Dr. Katie Ervin:How do we get people on the same page, going the same direction and working towards that? And that is so important that is a foundation of our organization is making sure that we're all going the same direction and we don't hold people accountable to that. That creates such a challenging organization and it demotivates people that are working around it. I say a lot of times you know I've worked with some really bad bosses, worked with, worked for, worked around really bad bosses, and I think they have gotten away with it. They continue to get away with it, so I'm not necessarily angry with them.
Dr. Katie Ervin:There is some like internal accountability, like how do we motivate ourselves. How do we be better? How do we, how do we take ownership? But also they've they've proved that they can get where they want to be by not doing the right things. And so in organizations, we've got to hold people accountable. We've got to set the standard that we're not going to put up with it and make that a common practice in our organizations. So let's talk about some actionable takeaways for you, ways we can actually boost motivation, employee satisfaction today at work.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Have regular check-ins with employees, not just about work but career goals, well-being. How are they doing? Do they understand their role in the organization? And so making that a regular practice, to take a breath, talk to them, understand how they're feeling, celebrate wins, big and small. Acknowledge contributions publicly, privately. I have a note on my calendar at three o'clock every day for recognition and appreciation, and so I'll send a handwritten note to a client, a friend, someone in the community that I've had an opportunity to meet, and so just taking that pause to do that.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Encourage autonomy at work. Let employees own their work and do what they were hired to do. Be transparent. Employees, trust leaders who communicate openly. You can be vulnerable and transparent and not be messy. You can still be professional and then invest in people's growth, train, mentor, promote from within, give them the skills and tools they need to be successful.
Dr. Katie Ervin:Create a development plan. If you are interested, I have created something I call the growth guide. A lot of people who have been to my talks or who've worked with me have the growth guide. I'm happy to share it with you, so feel free to send me a note. All of my information is in the podcast description. I'd be thrilled to share the growth guide. It's just a quick tool for your employees to do a personal spot analysis, but also for you to be able to really talk about their development and growth. It's so important.
Dr. Katie Ervin:So, as we're wrapping up, I want you to really think about how. Employee satisfaction isn't about a perk. It's not something that we can do later when we have time. It's about purpose, leadership and culture, and it's everyone's job in the organization the executives, the leadership team sets the tone, but it's really everybody in the organization. So I want you to identify one motivation killer in your workplace and take steps to fix it this week. Really, how can you address it? Some are big, some are small, but what are you going to do?
Dr. Katie Ervin:I would love to hear from you. So please share this podcast. Send me a note back. What has motivated you or demotivated you at work? What are you working on? What are those things? And, as always, I appreciate you so much for tuning in. Please subscribe to the podcast. If you're not already doing that, please share it with others. It is so fun to see where this podcast was listened to. We have people shout out Frankfurt, germany. I want to know who's listening in Frankfurt, because you're our second listen to city. So who is there? Thank you so much for listening. I just love doing this. It is a passion project for me. So thank you so much. Share the episode. Leave a review. Five stars helps me grow the podcast. Leaving that feedback is so supportive and I appreciate those of you who have done that. So thank you for your time. Go do great things. Your employees, you deserve to be happy and healthy and more motivated at work. Until next week, I'll talk to you soon. Bye, everyone.
