Spoiler-alert: It’s not because they’re lazy. Too often leaders jump to a negative conclusion about why employees aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do. Take a step back and consider the following possibilities… 
The first reason employees aren’t doing what they are supposed to do is that they don’t know what to do. There are a lot of assumptions made in the workplace about what people know and don’t know. One of the biggest assumptions leaders make is that employees know what to do. And by ‘what’ I mean how much work they are supposed to do on any given day. The answer to this problem is for the leader to define performance measures. It’s human nature to want to know what is expected. When expectations are defined most people will rise to meet them or exceed them.
The second reason people don’t do what they are supposed to do is that they don’t know how to do it. This could be due to a variety of factors including poor interview practices on the part of the interviewer, poor training, or failure to follow up with employees. To ensure people are able to do the job, ask better questions in the interview to determine skillset and make sure you have a quality training plan in place.
The third reason employees don’t do what they are supposed to do is that they don’t want to do it. This is usually the result of an employee not being motivated. The question a leader needs to ask is “Why aren’t they motivated?” Lack of motivation can stem from burnout or not being appreciated. To create a motivating environment, leaders need to understand the values of individuals. This requires looking for clues and asking questions.
Want to know more about how to implement a plan for building a highly motivated team that wants to get to work? Ask me about the “Every Day Leadership Skills That Produce Real Results” training program. This program is guaranteed to develop more effective leaders.
Liz Uram is a speaker and trainer who works with leaders, teams, and individuals to turn their great ideas and good intentions into real results.