At the end of every keynote presentation, I do a Q&A session. Last week a CEO of a medium sized company raised his hand and asked, ''How do I motivate unmotivated employees?''

I said, ''One of the things I've learned is that you can't motivate people to do what they truly don't want to do. The best executives I've seen create an environment where motivated people can stay motivated and succeed. The main job of an executive is not to motivate employees, but to make sure you don't de-motivate employees.''

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	Dan Coughlin

On my flight home, I thought about what I had said. How do managers de-motivate employees? If that answer could be clarified, that could be of value to managers in terms of knowing what not to do. Here’s what came to mind.

Eight Ways to De-Motivate Your Best Employees

1. Be rude.

One of the most effective ways I’ve ever seen to de-motivate employees is to treat them with sarcasm. When one of your employees makes a suggestion, roll your eyes like Simon Cowell on American Idol. For added effect, throw your glasses on the table and say in a dramatic voice, “What kind of an idea is that?”

2. Change the rules.

Have a sales contest where anyone that signs up 100 new customers gets a $2,500 bonus. Then after you realize that “too many” sales people are getting the bonus, change the rules to 150 new customers. And then watch as your top employees start taking those calls from headhunters rather than calling prospective customers.

3. Be inconsistent with compensation.

Tell an employee that you love the work she did and that you are going to put her in a special “Platinum Compensation Pool” that people have to earn their way into. And then hire a new person who starts at a higher salary and who has never achieved the degree of success of the current employees in the Platinum Category. What you meant as a compliment turns out to feel very backhanded.

4. Give no wiggle room in roles and responsibilities.

Even though an individual demonstrates passion and strengths around developing leaders, don’t ever give the person the opportunity to use those strengths and passions in the workplace. Say, “Look, I hired you to run the purchasing department, and that job keeps you plenty busy. We don’t need you spending time mentoring other people.” 10 years ago I left my job and started my own business because my bosses never gave me even a small opportunity to focus on developing leaders and teaching the things that I teach today.

5. Provide no development for the individual.

Rather than focusing on developing an employee’s mind and expanding his skills, make sure the person does only the job he was hired to do. In this way, you’ll optimize short-term productivity and rob the individual and your organization from ever growing into a more productive long-term future.

6. Be vague in feedback.

Give every employee a “satisfactory” rating and tell them they are doing fine. Your best employees will wonder what is going on. And then they’ll think, “Well, if the boss thinks I’m only as good as everyone else, then there’s no need for me to try any harder than anybody else.”

7. Have nothing for the person to aspire to.

You have a great employee who over a period of eight years has done magnificent work. She has worked her way up to Sr. VP of Operations. And you say to her, “You’ve done everything we’ve asked, and you’ve reached the top of the mountain. Congratulations.” Helloooo. Make the mountain bigger. She needs something new to aspire to in order to stay self-motivated. Create an international division or a new line of products division or a National Key Accounts position. Do something.

8. Make the person feel like a small cog in a big machine.

My son, Ben, is six years old. For some reason he’s hooked on the old movie, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” At one point, the oldest brother, Adam, says to his younger brother, “Don’t worry if you lose out on that woman. One wife is pretty much like another.” My wife, Barb, always says, “Now Ben, don’t you ever say that to a woman.” And yet this how some managers make their employees feel. They will say, “Look if you leave tomorrow, we’ll find someone to take your job right away.” Wow, now that makes a person feel special.

In conclusion, work to avoid things that de-motivate employees. In doing so, you will create an environment where motivated employees can thrive.

About The Author

Visit Dan at www.thecoughlincompany.com. Dan Coughlin is a business keynote speaker, management consultant, and author of Accelerate: 20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum. He has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, and Investor’s Business Daily. Dan’s clients include Coca-Cola, Toyota, Boeing, Marriott, McDonald’s, AT&T, the American Bar Association, and the St. Louis Cardinals. He speaks on entrepreneurial habits, quality, leadership, branding, sales, and innovation.

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