How to Handle a Demotivating Boss.

A reader writes: Great 7 steps for motivation. How do you handle it when your manager ignores your motivation, or worse, tells you your motivation is irrelevant and that your sole motivation should be to make the numbers?
In that post (Get Motivated. Here's How.) I explained that you need to align your purpose with the boss's goals, the corporate goals and so forth. What I suspect is happening in your case is that your motivating purpose is something like "helping people" and your boss's goal is purely to make the numbers. (Probably there are big rewards for him if the numbers are made.)

There is no inherent conflict between your motivating purpose and your manager's goals. In fact, the best way to make your numbers long term is to make sure that you're helping your customers. Conflict occurs when, in order to make the numbers short term, the boss expects you to sell products or services that the customer neither wants nor needs. This a very common situation inside organizations that haven't learned that the old "hard sell" is a go-out-of-business strategy.

There are several ways to deal with this situation, depending upon how well your boss represents the values and ideals inside your company. If your boss is like every other sales manager in the company, you have only two choices:

Strategy 1. Assimilate. In the case of sales, you'll need to become a con-man like your boss and learn manipulative sales techniques so that you can screw the customer as quickly and effectively as possible. Then go have a drink with your boss and laugh about the suckers you just took for a ride.

Strategy 2. Quit. If your purpose and value system is completely at odds with that your management, you'll be doing yourself a big favor if you get out. Sooner rather than later, because your resume isn't being burnished by working for butt-holes. More importantly, you're not going to be doing your best work if your values are in conflict with those of the larger organization.

Strategy 3. Wait him out. Isolate yourself from the boss's negativity. Go on the road as much as possible. Network with sales reps who work for other managers. Work twice as hard so that you can still make your numbers without screwing your customers. If the boss really is an aberration, he may eventually be fired. Or you may be able to get transferred to another group. NOTE: Set a time limit for how long you're willing to put up with the current situation. Take the extra time to come up with an escape plan that's a career move rather than a life raft.

Strategy 4. Try to change the manager's personality. Yeah, right. Good luck trying. I don't believe it's possible for an employee to change the temperament of a sales manager. Still, I could be wrong. Anybody want to weigh in on this?