Managing a creative team is never simple, and given today’s uncertain economy, the job can be even more challenging. Many companies are feeling increased pressure to do more with less. How do you keep your employees inspired as budgets tighten and rewards are harder to come by?

Your attitude and interactions with your staff can have a major impact on morale. Following are five common pitfalls supervisors make in lean times, along with tips for avoiding them:

1. Assuming they’re lucky to have a job. While it’s true many people are fortunate to have a stable position during uncertain times, keep in mind your most talented employees always have options. Your best and brightest are marketable in any economy, and you want them to stay with you for the long term. Otherwise, how can you be ready for the inevitable upturn? Instead of adopting a “you’re lucky” posture, make sure you thank employees for a job well done. In addition, cutting budgets doesn’t have to mean cutting rewards. Low-cost and no-cost incentives—tickets to an art exhibit, for example—are excellent ways to show your appreciation.

2. Not asking for input. If your firm is facing challenges, consider putting your group’s talents to work solving those problems. After all, you hired your team because of their strong skills and good judgment. By informing them of the issues—the need to win a few new clients right away to offset the departure of a major account, for example—you make them stakeholders and give them the opportunity to influence the company’s success.

3. Ignoring rumors. There’s always plenty of grist to fuel the rumor mill, but if you begin to cancel meetings, shut your door or speak in hushed tones, your staff will know something is up. And you can count on the fact that if you don’t tell them what’s going on, someone else will. Like a game of telephone, the real story may get blown out of proportion: For example, if your department is not hiring a replacement for a position that someone vacated, it could be interpreted as a sign of layoffs to come. Control the message by giving it yourself, and keep in mind that managers need to be honest whether delivering bad news or good: Don’t promise things you can’t deliver or, alternatively, make a situation appear better than it actually is.

4. Creating a ‘no’ zone.  It’s easy to stick to tried-and-true formulas in challenging economic times because they’re safe. But you still need to take calculated risks and break new ground, or you could lose your competitive edge. Encourage staff to approach you with innovative concepts; if you can’t implement them, explain why, and let the team know you value their input. Keep in mind that if employee suggestions are dismissed without any real discussion, staff will stop presenting them.

5. Letting a lack of recognition trickle down. Many senior managers and executives would be the first to admit that they could offer a bit more positive reinforcement. But recognition often becomes endangered when tough times hit because companies and employees are simply focused on surviving. If you’re feeling under-appreciated, don’t make your team feel the same way. Showing your appreciation will motivate team members. Indeed, as long as praise is specific, genuine and timely, there’s no such thing as too much.

Almost everyone has encountered one of the stumbling blocks mentioned above, and not only when belts are tightening. By taking measures to avoid them, you can make your workplace more appealing and productive in both good times and challenging ones. 

The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising, marketing and Web professionals on a project basis with a variety of firms.