Jim's new boss, let's call her "Judy", manages by coercion, edicts, and political cunning. By all accounts, she has a remarkable disregard for other people's time, interests, or needs, and doesn't feel particularly bound by her own commitments. She's located in a distant city from Jim, but keeps her tendrils tightly wrapped around all members of her remote and virtual team.

Jim had loved his work, and in fact, had been supremely happy doing it under the previous leadership. But after five frustrating weeks spent largely on conference calls and "toting and fetching" bits of what he called "useless information" for Judy, he tendered his resignation on the very day that the U.S. Department of Labor announced an unemployment rate of 8.5%, the highest in 26 years.

He had no job to go to, but, as he told my friend, "Life's too short to work for a jerk." And indeed it is.

In these times of unprecedented turbulence and uncertainty, some managers labor under the delusion that everyone who still has a job feels a sense of good fortune that can only be envied by the millions who don't, and that this blessing will drive them to "put up with anything."

Not so.

A study released in January of 2009 by staffing firm Robert Half International suggests that even in a lousy job market, the number one catalyst driving top talent to the competition is bosses who are even lousier than the job market.

When asked "Which of the following is most likely to cause good employees to quit their jobs?" the top answer, given by 35% of respondents, was "unhappiness with management." That's up from 23% in 2004.

Speaking of delusions, I don't think for a minute that this article is being read by the hard core, profligate jerks who are legends in their own mind. Unless, of course, it has been forwarded to them through an anonymous gmail account. (A quick check reveals that such accounts are still available, if you're so inclined.) Genuine jerks either don't recognize, or else greatly admire that quality in themselves. But what does worry me are those of us who, in a misguided attempt to wring as much productivity as possible out of our ailing system, do things that only make matters worse.

Some ideas:

1. Periodically check yourself for thoughts like this: "They'll do what they're told. They're lucky to have a job. If they don't like it, we've got 200 applications on file from people who'd give anything to work here. All that squishy leadership stuff is out - this is survival." If anything vaguely resembling these sentiments tries to creep into your psyche, get a grip! Banish those ideas before they gain a foothold. And, if you see it in someone you work closely with or care about, man up and pull them aside for a little coaching.

2. Similarly, be careful not to take people, or their work, for granted. Nothing destroys a relationship faster. And whether we like it or not, getting productivity from people is still about relationships, and a matter of choice - theirs. As soon as you finish reading this, get up, go find someone who is doing good work, and tell them why you appreciate them. You don't have to get all smarmy about it. Just do it. And if that kind of thing isn't in your nature, may I suggest that you start adopting a new nature?

3. Coercion doesn't work. Never has, likely never will. Ditto for intimidation. Oh, sure, you can make things happen through brute force and fear. But you don't have enough energy or eyes in the back of your head to keep it going for long. Your colleagues, the ones who win performance through influence, trust, respect, and admiration, will outlast and outshine you.

4. Since our first book, Contented Cows Give Better Milk, we've espoused the benefits of what we call "Balanced Worth-It's". Quid pro quo, if you will. I'll bend over backward, go out of my way, the extra mile, for my employer (read, boss), if needed. But, at some point, I'm going to expect some consideration in return. The workplace is rife with managers whose sense of balance has gotten a little lopsided, especially in today's environment. The worker who arrives ten minutes late is subject to scrutiny and reprimand. But when the same worker stays an hour past quittin' time to participate in a conference call originating in another time zone, she has a right-if we're going to be fair about it-to expect a similar degree of scrutiny and, with it, at least a simple thank you.

5. Finally, even if you're not, by nature, a jerk - and I suspect you're not - don't let your own heightened level of stress and anxiety turn you into one. Years ago, when I was a young, insufficiently experienced manager of software designers, I reacted badly to a pressure cooker atmosphere not unlike the one we find ourselves in today. In short, I became a jerk. My boss cared enough to sit me down and tell me so. Sure, it stung for a while, but he was the best boss I've ever had, and this was the best, repeat, THE best, performance feedback I ever received.