Video of the Week: The Art of Demotivation

Leading satirist Dr. E.L. Kersten, author of "The Art of Demotivation," provides executives and managers with a shockingly effective strategy for responding to the complaints of their subordinates.

E.L. Kersten is the founder of Despair, Inc., a publishing and media enterprise dedicated to the dissemination of contrarian wisdom. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University of Southern California and is the author of several of the company's popular Demotivators® products.

Kersten spent the early part of his professional career as a university professor; holding teaching positions at the University of Southern California, California State University, Fresno, and City University of New York, among others. In 1995, he was lured out of academia by a fledgling Dallas internet startup. His experiences in the private sector managing the customer care operations for an explosive-growth ISP proved both tumultuous and transformational, ultimately inspiring the birth of Despair, Inc. in 1998.

One blurb says that “The Art of Demotivation is guaranteed to equip you with the power to deflate egos and create a genuinely amusing divide between worker and boss. For example, on the subject of indifference, Dr. Kersten recommends that you ignore employees in passing, get their names wrong, take credit for their ideas, talk over them, disregard their contributions and even cleanse your hands after greeting them! Yes it's harsh, but successful executives sometimes have to be cruel to be kind.”

The "It Could Be Worse" Program is brilliant! If you don't stop complaining, it really will be worse. Guys, remember that -- you may have to do a tour at HR to get that ambassadorship.