How to Build Morale in an Organization

How to Build Morale in an Organization

Morale is defined as the confidence, enthusiasm and discipline or a group of people. Morale changes over time. General Eisenhower said of Morale “Morale is born of loyalty, patriotism, discipline, and efficiency, all of which breed confidence in self and in comrades…Morale is at one and the same time the strongest, and the most delicate of growths. It withstands shocks, even disasters of the battlefield, but can be destroyed utterly by favoritism, neglect, or injustice.”
I am struck by the contrast in General Eisenhower’s statement. “It withstands shocks, even disasters of the battlefield, but can be destroyed utterly by favoritism, neglect, or injustice.” Good morale can withstand the horrors of combat, but can’t survive the petty actions of a toxic leader.
A leader builds morale through effective leadership. One of the most important qualities of an effective leader is integrity. Honesty, self-confidence, a sense of fair play, courage, respect and trust are qualities that define the integrity of the leader. A leader who does the right things for the right reasons earns the trust and respect of the team that follows the leader.

A leader who faces pressures to accomplish the mission or achieve objectives and stands tall to achieve the objectives will make a mark on those around them. How and when decisions are made, who does or does not get thrown under a bus, who creates busy work that serves no purpose but adds to someone’s file used for CYA tells a story that leads to good or bad morale.

This image is my favorite Leadership image. The morale of the 20th Main was excellent. Col. Chamberlain led his regiment in a bayonet charge against armed Confederate soldiers. How do you get followers to charge downhill with what were basically sharp sticks against soldiers shooting bullets? The morale for that unit was established weeks and months before that battle. The leader made decisions and took actions that caused his followers to respect and trust him. There was enough trust and respect that the soldiers were willing to face death on the command of their leader.

Fortunately very few of us have to lead our followers into a dangerous situation that could end in injury or death. How many of us have earned the trust and respect of our followers that if necessary we could lead them into a dangerous situation?

Morale can’t be bought. Smiling, joking, buying donuts or pizza, refusing to initiate discipline, ignoring work rules will not create good morale in your organization. It will earn you the contempt and a loss of confidence from both your seniors, subordinates, and even your peers.
Good Morale doesn’t happen overnight, but bad morale can develop overnight. Followers are fickle, you can lose whatever trust and respect you built up very quickly if they question your integrity. One positive occurrence will not create a sense of confidence, enthusiasm and discipline that is Good Morale, but one act of favoritism, neglect, or injustice can create bad morale in a group led by an ineffective leader.

It takes time to earn the trust and respect of the people you lead. It requires multiple occurrences of an effective leader doing the right thing for the right reason to build the confidence, enthusiasm and discipline. When you sprinkle in an occasional act of favoritism, neglect, or injustice, all the Good Will and Good Morale earned over time will run down the drain when you approve Suzy Sunshine for a day off when you already refused Rotten Johnnie the same day off.
Integrity means you are fair and consistent. Integrity means you do not hide or misrepresent the truth. Integrity means you are proud of your actions and have nothing to hide. Do the right things for the right reasons and you earn trust and respect.

We do not live in a black and white world, there are many grey areas. Rotten Johnnie came back an hour late from lunch. He provided a lame excuse that turned out to be a lie. This is also the third time he returned late from lunch. Suzy Sunshine came back an hour late from lunch, but it was her first time being late and she fell asleep in the break room because she was up late last night because her husband was in a hospital after surgery.

Both employees committed identical offenses with different circumstances. Over time this situation occurs occasionally. How this situation fits with the previous situations will add or subtract from the trust and respect earned. With progressive discipline Suzy Sunshine may only receive a warning, with zero tolerance she may receive the full discipline required. Fair and constant treatment of all occurrences will build the story of the leader.

Most of the team will want to see Rotten Johnnie get all the discipline he deserves and most of the team will not want to see Suzy Sunshine pay the price of a rare infraction for her. Time and consistency will tell the story.

The trust, respect, and confidence the followers have in the leader will determine if the group has Good or Bad morale.

We all take hits and bruises as we perform the duties of a leader. Make sure those hits and bruises are on the front of you not the back of you. Lead your team and stand between them and any and all ugly personalities that are in your organization. We all have toxic leaders that we have to deal with. Face them and protect your team as well as you can from the effects of the toxic leaders. Followers respect their leader when they see them as a protector and a fighter.

We all want to be led by someone who is competent and strong. None of us want to be led by the person who just threw one of our peers under a bus.
Morale is a function of the courage of the leader. Morale is a measure of the integrity of the leader. Morale is determined by the consistency and transparency of the leader.