There are a lot of things that you might ask your team to do and sometimes we don't realize how those things could affect the team. It is those little things that make up a bigger one. Here are some of the things that you shouldn't ask your team to do:

1. Task without support

See Yap Siang, vice president of group resourcing, Alliance Bank Malaysia, believes that a manager must be just, trustworthy, empathetic, and visionary in leading a team towards a common goal agreed by all in the team. “I would never ask my team to deliver tasks that I am not able to support them on, or execute them without full information and knowledge of the subject; or that will jeopardise their integrity and reputation.” he said. 

Wong Woon Man, head of HR, Allianz Malaysia also supported the statement and adds, "if they are involved in one part of an overall bigger assignment, we should help them see how their part fit into the overall bigger picture.  When the team understands the end goal, they are also able to suggest different ways for approaching an assignment and delivering on the goal.”

2. Work over family

“I would never ask my team to prioritise work or blindly pursue career progression over their family. Additionally, I would not expect them to listen to me without questioning and respect me just because I am the boss. I believe respect needs to be earned.”

Another issue that See raised is work-life balance. Asking employees come to office or work on a weekend would be the last thing he wanted to ask from his team, unless driven by a top-down mandate. 

3. Giving out orders as a boss, instead of a leader

Lee Quane, regional director of ECA International in Asia, takes a wider perspective to this: “As the team’s manager, I would demonstrate what I expect of my employees in my own work – never asking of them what I wouldn’t be prepared to do myself. It would be rather unjustified on my part to ask my colleagues to go above and beyond without any clear direction or leadership.”

Quane’s adds, “If you want to be an effective leader, to inspire a team, you can’t shout orders from afar. Leading by example is not only motivational, it is also the best way to communicate your ideas.”

Source: HumanResource