"Do it this way or I'll fire you" is a very strange kind of motivation — it only works on someone who has nowhere else to go.
Fear is a very poor instrument.
And yet it’s exactly what most employers and managers reach for when it comes to motivating a team.
I’ve never understood that logic.
“Do it this way or I’ll fire you” is a very strange kind of motivation. It only works on someone who has nowhere else to go.
Any person with initiative, creativity and sense will not work in toxic conditions, because they have a choice and other options.
For someone’s potential to open up, they have to decide internally that they want to try hard and give their all — on this particular project.
You cannot arrive at that internal decision through force, ultimatums, fear and threats.
It’s far better and wiser to build a relationship with your team. To know what they live for, to take a genuine interest in their problems. When you look after your people, they’ll look after you.
It’s a two-way street.
That’s why the authoritarian style of management has always baffled me, and why I’ve always argued for open, honest conversation.