You are if you:
          Expect too much, too soon: Most new employees enter their jobs with enthusiasm, then fizzle if they don’t see the results they’d hoped for. Often, managers who expect employees to know everything from the outset grow impatient when they have to answer too many questions so employees stop asking and “do the best they can.” Set scalable goals that are timed and measured. Expect less quantity and more quality at first while setting the expectation that a greater output will be expected when they get more experience.

          Reward mediocrity: What are your expectations and do you enforce them? Even an enthusiastic employee gets discouraged and slows down if they see others get away with it. In fact, if the norm is to be sloppy or slow, chances are your new employee will adopt these bad habits. Why work hard if nobody else is? The onus is on leaders to create a sense of urgency and pride in the work.

          Put more emphasis on style than substance: Some people are more show than go. Others are quieter but get the job done. Be sure to put a premium on what the employee does for the company, not his sociability. Don’t mistake charm for results but rather charm and results!

         Criticize more than praise: If employees only hear what they did wrong and what mistakes they made, that is demotivating. A worker who feels good about what they are doing is typically a more productive employee. Find things to praise and if you need to criticize, let them know, as clearly and specifically as possible, how they can correct it.

         Spread workers too thin: If you consistently overburden competent employees, you may be breeding mediocrity. If staff must be cut, it is important to help remaining employees stay competent. There really is a limit to how much a person can get done. Eventually an overburdened employee will let things fall through the cracks and adopt a “why bother attitude.” Get the truly overloaded person help. Cross train and distribute the work as evenly as possible.

         As my Dad used to say: Encourage people to shoot for the moon, because even if they miss, they will still be among the stars!