21 Apr How to Motivate/Demotivate Employees

Lessons in Leadership: Observations from My Career

I have encountered numerous managers who exhibited substandard leadership qualities throughout my career. Beyond their poor treatment of staff through threats and intimidation, many struggled to effectively motivate their employees or understand the reasons behind high turnover.

One manager, the founder and owner of a profitable software company, was undeniably intelligent, having developed a valuable program for checking the integrity of internal systems. However, he could not manage professional employees. His first-line managers, including me, operated as a dysfunctional team, receiving minimal guidance and support from him. One even admitted that he hoped I would fail in my role to make himself look better.

In this toxic environment, employees were afraid to speak openly about their concerns, especially anything critical of the owner.  The copy machines were used to print resumes, and the best people left the company. Sales wins were not publicized and never celebrated.

The owner’s approach may have been partially influenced by cultural differences from being raised outside the United States.

Examples of His Management Approach

• Public Criticism: When an employee made a decision that led to a poor outcome, the owner would publicly shame the individual in company-wide meetings, often causing embarrassment and humiliation. For example, he might say, “Joe decided we should add this feature to the product, which introduced a problem, causing six customers to complain.” In some cases, the employee would be terminated for such decisions. As a result, employees became hesitant to make autonomous choices, leading to an overreliance on the owner.
• Disregard for Employee Value: During meetings, he referred to employees as “replaceable parts”—akin to components in a machine—demonstrating an apparent disregard for their individuality and contributions.
• Resistance to Change: When his five direct reports proposed changes to improve the company’s culture and operations, he responded bluntly: “This is my company. If you don’t like it, then leave.”
• Devaluing Sales Staff: He told his salespeople that he could hire “trained monkeys” to perform their roles despite the company’s exceptional sales team.

Management Practices He Neglected

Despite leading a successful business, the owner failed to recognize the importance of many fundamental management principles, including:

• Treat employees with respect

• Encourage, motivate, and reward staff

• Foster honesty, integrity, and trust in the workplace
• Set realistic goals and properly communicate them
• Ensure employees feel valued, not “disposable”
• Encourage calculated risk-taking
• Communicate openly and effectively with employees
• Encourage teamwork and collaboration
• Delegate responsibility and authority
• Conduct inclusive and respectful company meetings
• Handle conflict resolution constructively
• Hold employees accountable in a positive manner
• Facilitate professional development and nurture exceptional talent through career development
• Welcome diverse perspectives
• Support the mental health and emotional intelligence of all employees
• Cultivate self-discipline rather than punitive measures
• Incorporate employees into decision-making processes
• Maintain an open-door policy for communication

Joe Maddon, the former Manager of the Tampa Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels baseball teams, noted that “if a player feels open and that he’s going to heard and listened to, that’s where genius can flourish and that’s where greatness occurs.”¹ Even with baseball players’ high pay levels, Maddon also said, “There’s not enough money in the world to make you want to work in a place or a situation where you don’t want to be and be productive or good.”²  I agree. This is universal and applies to all workforces. If one is unhappy, one will have a poisoned attitude, negatively affecting their work product. When one works in an environment where everyone is worried about the security of the job and afraid to take risks, all creativity is stifled.

Final Thoughts

Please note that I did not list compensation amongst the 18 management deficiencies at the company.  A recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey in 2024, found it was the top factor in employee satisfaction, surpassing job security, relationship with the immediate supervisor, and benefits.³ My experience is that it is essential when all other factors are much less critical.

Numerous books, articles, and consultants provide guidance on the best practices for effective management. “Time” magazine listed 25 of the best for reference.⁴ The software company owner I worked for unintentionally taught me invaluable lessons—not on how to manage effectively, but on what not to do when leading a team.

I tried to consistently foster open communication with all my direct reports and provide constructive feedback to enhance their performance. I have observed that employees appreciate being informed about company developments, and I endeavored to share pertinent information without compromising privacy regulations. Fundamentally, this approach aligns with the principle of treating others with the same respect and consideration one expects in return, as our parents taught us when we were young.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Steve

¹ Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci, The Book of Joe (New York; Twelve, 2022), p. 208.

² Ibid, p. 245.

³ https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/Employee-Job-Satisfaction-Engagement-Flyer.pdf

⁴   https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2086680,00.html