I have used the metaphor of the leader who seeks to intimidate through the baseball bat rather than motivate through the skillful wielding of the baton. Obviously, no legitimate business leader will threaten people with physical violence; nevertheless, a great many of them assault the human spirit on a regular basis. The high-command, high-control manager uses words to bludgeon a staff into submission. Just as a child who was raised in an abusive home often grows up to be an abuser himself, many managers who rose through the ranks in a verbally abusive environment often assume a leadership role and begin degrading co-workers with debilitating and dis-empowering words. I never cease to wonder at such tactics. These “managers” actually believe that they are going to bring out the best in people by motivating through fear and intimidation.