My colleagues and I used to joke about getting management tips from the  television show "24". We would marvel at how Jack Bauer could stay on task no matter what was happening around him or to him. We shook our heads at Chloe who is a technical genius but has no people skills. Jack's antics of forcing his team to work with him by any means pale in comparison to the real-life manager who used water boarding as a team building exercise.

Details can be found in a  Washington Post article but basically, the manager asked for a volunteer (Chad) and then proceeded to have two other team members hold Chad down while the manager poured a gallon jug of water over his nose and mouth. The boss then told his team "You saw how hard Chad fought for air right there. I want you to go back inside and fight that hard to make sales." Chad is now suing his former employer.

 I have to believe that this manager didn't wake up that morning and think "I'm going to torture one of my employees today". He wanted to motivate his team and  thought that he had come up with a unique way of doing it. I find it very interesting that his team was so intimidated that they even participated in hold Chad down. Obviously this is an extreme example of poor management judgement. When you are looking for a way to motivate your team, first ask yourself if the activity would motivate you or alienate you. This might help you avoid making a huge mistake.