Why You Shouldn't Motivate An Unproductive Employee

How many of you have run a business, or managed a team which included at least one unproductive employee? Maybe this person has been the bane of your work life, and not being able to depend on them causes you stress? Perhaps after hiring him, you may believe that they have lied about their experience on their CV or resume? 

One of the toughest situations many managers regularly face, especially if they've inherited their team, is dealing with an unproductive employee. Consequently, many managers erroneously believe that the problem is caused by the employee's lack of motivation: If they are not performing, perhaps they need to be motivated. But this is rarely the case, as motivation is simply like placing a bandaid on a gaping wound. It doesn't address the underlying culture issues. 

When they find out inevitably that motivation and listening to them does not work, that's when managers often contact HR to help...

How Can You Know If You Are Marrying The Right Partner?

Tony Robbins' first marriage lasted around 12 years. On his wedding day, he remembered thinking that it "just wasn't right" -- he had an inkling feeling that it wouldn't work out -- yet he went along with it because he didn't want to disappoint her. He, like many people, just wanted to please their partner. But he later found the price of not listening to his intuition: because he ended up leaving her, she allegedly was so resentful, that she drew out the divorce several years and had all of his businesses which he operated personally valued at an 8X multiple, leaving him owing her $42 million dollars of money he did not have. 

So what happened?

1) He didn't listen to his intuition when it called.

2) He betrayed his authenticity by misleading a woman when he only wanted to please her. 

3) That woman became resentful when the truth was revealed and thought she deserved compensation for her hurt by draining him of all...

Studies show that 80% of people are not happy with their current job -- and the #1 reason is due to their boss being toxic for them. What I've found working in the industry of Human Resources is that most of the time, this is not the boss that hires them, but the boss who inherited them. 

Although there are other influences, the reason is simple: People like those who are similar to them. People will promote, give the best opportunities to, and cut the most slack for people who remind them of themselves. It's not something they are aware of, and often an entirely automatic response of human beings. The boss that hired you thought you were right for the job AND felt a connection to you because you were similar to him/her. The boss that inherits you often will not be like you, so he/she has the mindset of using you as a resource to complete what needs to be done because it's harder to relate to someone unlike themselves. 

It all depends on the boss and the person, whether...

A Short and Touching Story

Once when I had a new job, I casually came across something my boss would like, so I got it for him. Nothing special. I also knew that feeling appreciated was important to him, so I got him a card and wrote him a nice note about how much I appreciated what he did and how he welcomed me into the group. 

It was really nothing special, and I didn't put much thought into it. It just felt perfect at the time, and I went by my intuition. 

That boss and I generally worked well together. I admired him, and he appreciated me. I always did what he said & got his back. He always listened to me and took my advice. 

I didn't think he would get me anything. But when I came back to work, we had a meeting, and I saw a package at his desk. I thought someone had given him something because he was very high on the food chain and many people give him things. 

But after the meeting, he gave it to me. I opened it, and it was an Amazon Echo Dot. He said...

The author David Deida used to say "Chronic dissatisfaction is how you sense you are living a lie." 

Most of us come to our jobs reluctantly. Most of us would rather stay home and sleep. Why?

Well, what is it exactly, that gets you out of bed in the morning? What do you choose every day to leave your bed to do? What would you like to do?  what would you rather do?

Think about that for a moment. If you had your physical needs taken care of, what would get you out of bed in the morning? Get out a sheet of paper, and take some time to list them down. I'll still be here. 

Now, beneath this list, write down what you do on a daily basis in your job today. What are the outcomes expected by your role? Why do you go to work every day? Go ahead and write it down, now. 

Now compare the 2 lists. What observations do you see?

Alignment With Your Life Purpose

 The reason most people are dissatisfied by what they do in life is that the outcomes of their job are not...

As much as we try to avoid it, we as human beings are susceptible every day to baser emotions like envy, which results in hurtful gossip, unhealthy comparison to others, and sabotage. All of this contributes to a toxic environment in the workplace. Its effects exacerbate when we find our leaders, management, and bosses do not know how to transmute envy into positive and constructive emotions. 

Here are 5 toxic personas you should avoid at the workplace, especially if they are your boss! 

1.  Mr./Ms. Unpretentious

This type likes to cut the overly superior down to size. We may love this when they are attacking the braggarts, but the downside is - like the crab taking down any other crab that tries to escape the bucket - this type can never appreciate excellence. Their goal is to bring everyone one down to the same mediocre level they are so that they won't feel so bad about themselves. They have very fragile egos themselves. We only want to cut people down to size when...

Here's a story how one woman used the common "dirty trick" to increase her salary by $20K. 

Disclaimer: This story is for entertainment purposes only. Situations may have been altered or are a mix of real life occurrences. Results may vary. EmpathInTheOffice.com does not assume responsibility or liability for any outcome obtained from acting on the elements in this article.

When I had worked in the line of business as a salaried employee, my mentors advised me never to accept the first salary offered, because the company can always offer more. I learned that most companies hold back on what they would pay you, and I learned several hard negotiating skills, but I never used them because I saw it as overly manipulative, and at the time I didn't have the self confidence I have now. 

However when I started working in HR, I found that the salary which was allocated to the position was mainly what was offered to the last person in...

Worth Is Inherent And Eternal

So many people don't know that you cannot lose self worth. How you choose to live and the meaning you place on you being here in this world is entirely of your choosing.

• Your worth is inherent, eternal and unchangeable. It cannot be created or destroyed.
• You were born with worth and you die with worth.
• No matter how you spent your life, your worth never changes.
• You don't need to justify your life. You don't need to explain yourself to anyone.   

When the seed of a rose is planted, and the roots start to grow, it may not yet look like a rose, but within that seed it has always been a rose. 

If you crumple up a $20 bill, it's still worth $20. If you step on it and bury it in the dirt, it's still worth $20. As long as the $20 is intact, there is nothing you can do to diminish it's value. 

People choose to diminish their value by gauging the other people's perceptions of them. The truth is that the only perception that...

The 13th Law of Success in Napoleon Hill's book The Law of Success is about Failure.  

There are 2 ways to look at failure -- like a monkey that never leaves your back and sticks to you so much that you believe you are destined for failure on a regular basis, and that you'd never get out of that death spiral -- or you can see it as a magical "redirect".

People who are comfortable with failure know that the Universe has their back. They don't worry because they know they are alive, and no failure has killed them yet. 

Why Failure Feels So Bad

What people worry most about failure is actually the fear of death. Because if we don't succeed, we are not worthy, and if we are not worthy, then we won't be loved. And when we are not loved, we feel like we will die.

It's not too far from reality. In the caveman times, we had to be "loved" or accepted into the tribe or we would be cut off from their food, protection and companionship. No one would risk being cut off in that...