How well an employee performs may be directly linked to their level of self-esteem. Managers need to focus on improving employee self-esteem and avoid deflating it.An employee who feels he is getting negative feedback and is being “beaten up” by his or her manager will pull back from contact with those in authority, and also from responsibility.

Managers should avoid:

Put-downs. Don’t belittle employees, ignore them, or not take them seriously.

Ridicule. Don’t make fun of your employees, especially in front of others.

Self-doubt. Don’t demonstrate a low level of self esteem yourself. Entry level managers often feel insecure because they are new to their job roles. There attitudes can be spotted by employees and the organization.

Managers should use esteem-building behaviors with employees.

Communicate. Encourage employees to discuss issues and problems. Let them know the goals of the company and where in particular they fit in. Surveys indicate that employees want and need to know what’s going on within the organization. New managers may not feel as informed as they should be and get so caught up in their own situation that they lose sight of the needs of others.

Enlist workers in goal setting. This goal setting doesn’t have to be complicated. Ask your employees what they would like to accomplish and in which area they would like to improve. One of the best times is right at the end of the year. This is when resolutions are made for the upcoming year. You need to know what the employees business and personal goals are, then it is your job to keep the employee on track to achieve these goals. As a manager you need to make sure these goals are attainable and give the resources for them to accomplish them. The goals should include short and long term goals. This way when the employee reaches some of their short term goals it keeps them motivated to achieve their long term goals

Develop your employees. This training or “mind mentoring” either inside or outside the company through available education programs makes employees feel valued. Otherwise, why would you be spending training time on them? A good investment is to send them to training seminars. It may cost your company money but look at it as an investment in your organization.

Give feedback. Many companies have a suggestion and incentive or bonus. The problem is that many managers don’t tell their employees how these programs work and how they can become involved. The result is that a positive becomes a negative. The best way is to sit down with the employee and do a one on one with them. You would be surprised and what you will hear from employees.

Celebrate accomplishments. Recognize employee accomplishments by giving praise in front of peers or featuring a story about that employee in the company’s newsletter. By doing this you give that employee the motivation to continue to do good work but it is an incentive for other employees to be recognized for their accomplishments.

Unfortunately, many managers don’t realize how important it is for employees to feel a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. They mistakenly believe that money is the only way to make employees happy and feel secure. Your job a manager is to manage people. This is why you were put in this position. If you think all you have to do is sit back and your employees will do the work for you I can guarantee you will not be a manager very long.