Let’s set some assumptions — ideally, articles about inappropriate management practices should not exist. But our daily reality is not a utopia, and burnout issues have been described from many perspectives and in many ways. However, to show how easy it is to lead the best people on the team to have a sense of futility, we present a ready-made recipe—applying these practices guarantees negative consequences, even in the short term.
1. Guess what I expect from you
Most misunderstandings and frustrations arise from gaps in communication. They may stem from managers’ failure to define the key areas for which team members are responsible. Another threat is the inconsistency in defining roles and responsibilities. Examples? One day, give an employee the feeling that they should take the initiative and that their suggestions are valuable. And shortly after, criticize them for their engagement and reduce them to a typical do-it role. However, when the project is delayed or problems arise, blame (and responsibility) should fall on the employee.
2. If I’m not criticizing it, It’s OK—don’t you know?
The highest form of praise is the absence of criticism? Great, if you want to smother any enthusiasm and engagement within your team. Some managers assume that the only form of feedback should be pointing out elements for correction or change, forgetting how important it is to appreciate positive aspects, progress, and development. Lack of appreciation is one of the most common problems in teams. An example from our backyard is a situation where an employee devoted all their energy and skills for weeks to meet expectations within the deadline. However, they received no feedback, so they took the initiative and proposed a one-on-one meeting. When they directly asked for feedback on their performance, they received a response that can be paraphrased as: “Don’t you know that if I don’t give feedback, it means that everything is OK?”
3. Don’t bother me, just get it done
Arrogant remarks directed at team members do not reflect one’s position or competencies but rather significant communication issues. It is worth noting that when involving an engineer with a specific specialisation in a project, it is necessary to trust their knowledge and skills. Pushing for an accelerated process or ignoring information about necessary solutions may result in the project’s failure. The consequence is burnout, manifested by indifference, a sense of powerlessness, and turning a dedicated specialist into someone who just blindly follows orders.
4. I say one thing but do another
There’s a known saying: “Paper will take anything.” But the moment of truth comes when it turns out actions don’t match words. Yet, consistency and responsibility are the key traits of leaders. Here, it’s worth citing an example we encountered in one of our collaborations. Specialists from ArdentCode faced a situation where the client’s representative often suggested ideas without specifying requirements. Changes in expectations, requirements, and vision were also frequent and unjustified for the project. Employees who were involved in this collaboration experienced a lack of stability in decisions. This created concerns since one of a leader’s roles is to provide a sense of stability and security, which are essential in effective and productive team work.
5. What are you saying? You’d better look at yourself
Gaslighting[1] may occur not only in romantic relationships but unfortunately also in professional situations. It’s enough to conduct conversations in a way that instills doubt in the recipient about their maturity, experience, skills, and knowledge. A representation of this status may be a situation where a specialist (yet again) takes the initiative to talk about the team’s situation, project, and the communication style of the project manager. To quickly and efficiently destroy their commitment, just do not accept the criticism backed by specific arguments (constructive criticism). To defend yourself, throw in something about a personal attack and lack of professionalism. In this way, you will stir up guilt in the employee attempting to change the situation and admit that the problem indeed lies with them.
Summary:
Each of these attitudes will negatively affect the team. Combining them practically guarantees quickly burning out even the resilient and ambitious employees. The ironic tone of this article should not overshadow its real message — that the behaviour described above indicates a lack of leadership skills and improper selection of management methods. At ArdentCode, we place a strong emphasis on effectively preventing burnout among team members, even if they are affected by a negative style of collaboration with clients. We will write about these methods in our future materials.
[1]https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/what_is_gaslighting_abuse/