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'Bar Rescue' host Jon Taffer explains the 4 tactics he uses with terrible managers

Part of the entertainment value of watching an episode of "Bar Rescue" is watching its host Jon Taffer yell like a maniac at incompetent bar owners in an attempt to get them back on track.

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But Taffer isn't just a reality show star — he's spent over three decades in the bar and nightlife world, and is a leading industry consultant who has worked with hundreds of institutions.

jon taffer
Jon Taffer. Isaac Brekken/Getty

And while the camera may love Taffer's tantrums, he told Business Insider that they're carefully constructed attempts to "reel in" off-the-rails owners. You may want to strip out the screaming aspect of the following approach before adapting it to your own life, but its main points are relevant for both motivating your employees and yourself.

1. He appeals to their pride.

Even the laziest bar owners Taffer deals with tend to have a desire to reach a certain level of success, even if they've forgotten it. That could mean proving someone wrong, beating out local competition, or making enough money to buy a vacation house in Tahiti.

2. He makes them afraid.

If they've suppressed or given up on the desire for success, Taffer tries to shake them with fear. He'll paint a picture of what their failure will look like.

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"What will happen when this place closes?" he'll ask. "What happens when you lose your house?"

3. He takes them out of their own heads.

There are times when someone has sunk so low that they've given up entirely on themselves and aren't impressed by Taffer's personal jabs. That's when he'll remind them of their family. For example, he might bring in their mom who loaned them money or show them photos of their kids.

The point is, Taffer said, "if you can't do it for yourself, can you do it for them?"

4. He throws them into the fire.

When Taffer agrees to help bar owners try to revive their bars, the organizations are at a point where they have two options: bounce back or close. Instead of abandoning them after the first three tactics fail, Taffer said, "the only thing I have left is boot camp time and then I've got to beat the hell out of them."

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That usually entails inviting a large crowd of people to the bar and forcing the bar owners and their staff to adjust or fail miserably.

Taffer added that when he cares enough to take this four-step approach, he may have an intense confrontation with the bar owner, but he always ends on a positive note. "The hug at the end, by the way, is real," he said. "When they look in my eyes, they know I care. That allows them to trust me enough to let me scream at them."

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