Top 6 Ways to Demotivate a TeamTop 6 Ways to Demotivate a Team

Bully people. When people are behind schedule or struggling with a technical issue, it is best to ask impossible questions. Play “gotcha” when they can’t answer you. Pressure them. Insult them. Cancel their vacations. This will ensure they don’t go the extra mile. They will leave early. It will also guarantee they update their resume, and find another job.

Be inconsistent. Nothing better than changing the target. Give them one, let them work for a bit, then change it! It is amazing to watch them scramble. Of course, you can do it more than one time. It is also fun to make a decision in a meeting, then immediately tell one person a different direction as you are leaving the meeting. Of course, it is to make that one person happy. Luckily, the rest of the team will be confused and frustrated. And the person who you changed for will not respect you.

Add extra administrative or otherwise useless tasks. No need to elaborate. This is magical.

Dangle a carrot, then take it away. When someone takes on a challenging job and it is above their level, suggest a promotion is looming. Watch them execute and deliver. Tell them it is a corporate record or an impossible achievement. When the opportunity for the promotion arrives, suggest they need more seasoning. Maybe mention they should get a certification or patent first (which you haven’t mentioned before).

Create a checklist and process that are required for every project, without flexibility to exclude items. Why would we want employees to think for themselves? A checklist is the perfect way to force them to turn off their brain. Ideally, it will not work for simple projects or for complex projects. By asking if someone did a generic task, then placing an “X” in a box, we are no longer responsible for the outcome. The product can fail. The project can be delayed. But since we followed the checklist, we are not to blame. This is an ideal way to ensure a lack of accountability.

Don’t lead, but instead manage. And then manage some more. If people understand the big picture, what will they need you for? If the plan is a secret, you can micromanage and say “this is essential for our strategic plan” and then continue talking and sounding important. Of course, there is no strategic plan because those are challenging to create. They are risky. They are likely wrong and will need changed. So, we don’t say anything and keep everyone in the dark.