There are some employees that, even after a Herculean effort to put them in the right job and get them personally connected to their work, still seem disinterested, disengaged and distracted. What to do next?

Remember that in today’s workplace, how you respond to your employees (your emotional intelligence) is critical to your success. So, to deal with the employee who seems to have trouble getting fired up, first look at yourself and be more self aware and socially aware (try the little softer side of management). Consider the following:
1. Sit down for an honest and open one-on-one conversation. Ask about how they “feel” about work (not what they “think” about it).
2. Sense their emotions and see if you can uncover any area of discontentment. Deal with it up front, with empathy and attention.
3. Invite the employee to create a response to improve things. Establish another meeting to review the plan. Set dates and action items. Assess changes to employee attitudes. Be open to changes in your behavior as they may be what is impacting the employee’s response.

In most cases, employees who are not fired up are working in the wrong jobs (they don’t feel capable or confident), they don’t love what the do (there is no passion) or they feel disconnected from the manager and workplace. Address each and employees quickly become excited, passionate and engaged. To solve this you have to get real, get human and get connected.