your article made me write one about motivation on my blog!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!

From the context of the article, the boss in question isn’t terribly motivated, either. If you’re there just for the paycheck, then this lack of passion spreads all the way down to the custodian who only makes certain nobody sees any major dirt after s/he cleans.

Then there’s protocol- have you given the employee the proper amount of warnings as per company policy? Is being rude to a client on the telephone a grounds for immediate dismissal? What about the performance issues? Were they ever officially addressed?

In the end, if you have not addressed the other issues before the “big event” that makes you want to fire the said employee, then you as boss haven’t done your job. If the employee was showing up and just coasting along, it seems like there is a disconnect in getting this person to play as a team member. Again, in many ways, unmotivated employees can be a reflection of an unmotivated boss.

I am with you on this- see the positives and try to address the challenges this hypothetical employee is posing as far as productivity is concerned. After all, just giving up on this person shows failure on your part, as well.

Great article, like always!!!