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Understanding Micromanagers and Control Freaks

Paranoid & Incompetent Micromanagers as a special type of corporate psychopath

News Classification of Corporate Psychopaths Books  Model of Corporate Psychopath Behavior Recommended Links Recommended Papers
 Office Stockholm Syndrom Fighting micromanagers Documenting Micromanager Behavior  Communication with corporate psychopath Rules of Verbal Self Defense Five Points Verbal Response Test
The psychopath in the corner office The Manipulator Bosses The authoritarian personality Narcissistic Managers Pathologically Incompetent Managers Paranoid Managers
Surviving a Bad Performance Review Coping with the toxic stress in IT environment The micromanagment-induced anger trap Abusive, Authority Based Relationships The Fiefdom Syndrome Pseudoscience and Scientific Press
Groupthink Conformism Lysenkoism Conformism pressures in large organizations Fraud Caused by Social Pressures Etc

The psychopath is one of the most fascinating and distressing problems of human experience.

Robert Hare

"Control freak" is one of those terms for which the meaning is starting to get distorted:

  • 68% of employees with a female boss consider her to be a control freak.
  • 57% of employees with a male boss consider him to be a control freak.

"control freak is one  who has an obsessive need to exert control over people and situations:

  • A grown man who hasn't learned to control his temper.
  • A man given to explosive overkill outbursts.
  • A man who lies publicly when his lies are easily checked.
  • A man who is extremely paranoid.
  • A man who threatens those who disagree with him.

Ironically, targets of abusive bosses tend to be high achievers, perfectionists and workaholics. Often bully bosses try to mask their own insecurities by striking out.

5 Tips: Dealing with an abusive boss - Oct. 15, 2004

Note 1: Paranoid incompetent micromanagers (PIMM), who successfully combine tight control of minute details/procedures used in performing assignments with toxic incompetence are classic case of corporate psychopaths and are often called "control freaks" (CF).

This category of corporate psychopaths represents really nasty beasts of IT jungles who tend to completely paralyze their victims.  They are completely different from PHB on Dilbert cartoons and in many way are close to narcissistic managers.

This set of pages designed to help victims and include: 

we will mainly address this menace. 

Note 2: Good advice about the topic is difficult to come by and depends on your concrete situation: take any recommendations with a grain of salt.  Still you need to study this type of personality extensively,. especially if you has a misfortune to report to one. While extensive study does not guarantee survival it does alleviate sufferings as the more you understand about this beasts them you can control yourself and environment and the more you can predict their reactions and structure your reaction in the most constructive (in the circumstances) way.

Maliciously incompetent micromanager (PIMM) is one of the worst choices of boss the life can give you.  Not only PIMM tries to control every little detail of every little project they assign to you, instead of giving you the job and leaving you to do it. They often tend to be very process-oriented, and usually will bog you down in tons of useless documentation.

Micromanagers are  simultaneously a special type of corporate psychopaths and a special type of addicts. As the page Toleration of Workplace Bullies aptly put it:

Are you a micromanager? "Who me? No of course not. I'm thorough. I'm competent. Ok, so I am a little methodical. That's not bad. Is it?"

Micromanagers like many addicts, alcoholics, rageaholics, fanatics, etc. are the last person on the planet to recognize their addiction is in controlling others. The compulsion to look over your employee's shoulders has nothing to do with being meticulous or careful it has everything to do with control. Yes you. That's right I'm talking to you El Presidente. Your employees are calling you much worse. For example, ruler, extremist, bureaucrat, tyrant, bully, persecutor, tormenter. And trust me, those are the nice names. People who micromanage do so because they are the ones who feel unsure and self-doubting.

You need to study those pages as they are very relevant to the topic. Like any psychopath they are bullies and over-controlling is one of the most effective method of intimidation.

Over-controlling is one of the most effective method of intimidation

Like many other addicts - whether alcoholics or workaholics or narcoaddicts, they fail to realize and admit that they are addicts - their addiction is in controlling others.  But what makes micromanagers especially dangerous is pervasive paranoia. 

What makes micromanagers especially dangerous is pervasive paranoia. An unmistakable sign of paranoia is continual mistrust which  simultaneously is the most distinctive feature of any micromanager.  Paranoid managers are suspicious, touchy, humorless, quick to take offense and slow to forgive, self-righteous, argumentative, often litigious.

An unmistakable sign of paranoia is continual mistrust which  simultaneously is the most distinctive feature of any micromanager.  Paranoid managers are suspicious, touchy, humorless, quick to take offense and slow to forgive, self-righteous, argumentative, often litigious. Prefer to keep distance and avoid any intimacy; often they seem tense, cold and brusque. Paranoid personalities find causal connections everywhere; for them nothing is coincidental.

All PIMM are bullies but the reverse is not true: not all bullies are PIMM. Still both types of psychopaths have a distinct a tendency toward sadism and derive perverse gratification from harming others. They like to hurt, frighten, tyrannize. .  They do it for a sense of power and control, and will often only drop subtle hints about what they are up to. At the same time they polish their aggressive, domineering manner in such a way to disguise any intimidation as legitimate corporate behavior.

All PIMMs are simultaneously bullies but reverse is not true. Studying literature about bullies greatly helps to understand PIMM behavior, especially in case of women.

PIMM often see "improper behavior" (their favorite term) in innocuous behavior of subordinates and irrelevant events.  Even joke might be an "improper behavior". They are constantly on guard, searching for hidden motives and threats. Usually they are hypersensitive to critique (and not without the reason as their are incompetent or most often grossly incompetent)  and often take offense where none is intended. Fear of exposure of paranoid micromanager is blended into a pattern of pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. That's why paranoid micromanagers rarely come forward to seek help from subordinates. At least direct help.

Unfocused rage alone will not help you and does no harm to a corporate psychopath. Moreover it actually benefits him/her. It takes discipline, study, and a lot of thinking as well as tactical intelligence to reposition yourself in way to be less vulnerable to PIMM and in forming proper alliances: "alliances of fed-up".  So, don't just get mad, get smart and remember that in fighting corporate psychopath you need help from other people.  Complaining to HR should be a well prepared collective action, never an individual act of despair even if due to tactical considerations it needs to be staged as a sequence of individual complains.

Sometimes this type of corporate psychopath pride themselves on their rationality and objectivity when in reality there is none.  This is more typical of women PIMM who feel that they are different from other women (and they really are). An inability to trust, doubts about others' loyalty, distortion and fabrication, misinterpretation, and bearing grudges unnecessarily are hallmarks of the disorder. Pathological and instinctive aggressive counter-attack, the obsessive need to control others is also a prominent feature. They like to collect evidence on subordinates.

It is paranoia that makes PIMM addicted to control and power in a compulsive drive for gaining success. This addiction for control makes micromanagers ask for status, data and reports from their subordinates more often than is needed for constructive intervention.  They pervert those management tools and convert then into torture chamber. Paradoxically female PIMM often attack females more then males...

A very interesting feature of PIMM is that they are more interested in the way things are done and less in the results achieved (pathologic procedure orientation). They tend to be over-involved in trivialities and paperwork, while losing strategic direction of the projects and essentially abandoning leadership. In a sense extremes meet. Like in case of laissez fair [do nothing]  managers  they completely lose the ball and projects often fail from the lack of leadership.  If they don't that's because there are still competent subordinates who can correct even gross blunders of their bosses while suffering abuse in return.

All-in-all micromanagement is a pathological reaction of paranoia and associated feelings of insecurity and distrust. Being incompetent PIMM rightly feels that that his position is threatened but he/she has no constructive ways to react to this threat. Instead the reaction became highly pathological: gatekeeping (blocking all alternative information flows that does not directly comes from the manager), making all important decisions himself and at the same time requiring frequent detailed reports and data, obsessive preoccupation with procedural details (project plans seems to be the favorite pasture). Further, such manager while in completely basic in theirs technical skills (often grossly incompetent with the level of over-promoted secretary) are unable to understand technical discussions and distinguish good suggestions from bad. To compensate this gross inadequacy they try to over-procedurally everything hoping that this will guarantee making the right decision and prevent exposing their gross incompetence.

This page is written as a self-help material for those who need to buy some time or are unwilling or incapable to leave ASAP.  It is important to understand that it such situation you cannot hide in your cubicle; this is a war more resembling hand combat in the trenches. Do not take your situation lightly. This is very serious and despite your best efforts you might be not able to survive for long.  Unless you are prepared on the level of Green Berets (which should become your role model anyway, at least as long as you stay in this environment ;-) you might not be in the same office the next month or even the next week. If you want to stay (for example buying your time to obtain some important certification) you might be suffering post traumatic stress syndrome like many solders who spent some time at the front lines: chronic stress destroys most humans really fast. 

Don't be surprised if Excel spreadsheet from a tool suddenly become instruments of torture. everything needs to be documented, real work be damned. This kind of  manager at extreme form can requires a memo requesting permission to use the bathroom :-). Another common characteristic, as pointed out by numerous posts here, is a lack of a clear vision of the end goal of a project.  They will change direction in the middle of the project, usually several times, and almost always reversing themselves at least once.

The true micromanager becomes so obsessed with details that "the big picture" becomes lost in a flood of insignificant tasks and documents to the extent that it impair the job in question. Essentially, a micromanager wants you to document and justify every action (after clearing it with him first, of course), do as you are told, leave the decisions to him, and so on. Moreover it also wants to justify his own inaction -- many PIMM are notoriously indecisive and will torture you getting unnecessary for the decision task, the decision that any competent manager can take on the spot.

Micromanagers are often using submissive subordinates (patsies) to create a hostile environment because they are too insecure to interact with worker bees themselves. You can expect that PIMM  all of a sudden, expect a from you stellar performance on the task that they never managed to explain or that was passed in grossly mangled form from one of their patsies. They also are pathologically economical in email and refuse to answer your emails or put anything in writing. Some are also technology agnostic despite working in IT environment and refuse to implement basic IT productivity tools like trouble tickets processing software (helpdesk or a bug tracking system).  Actually you never work "with" a micromanager and you, probably should never work "for" one longer then absolutely necessary.  It is very dangerous to work for PIMM for a long time because he/she will eventually make you mad, intolerant, obstructive, physically or mentally ill, or insubordinate.

But one of the most distinct feature of PIMM is their obsession with extracting from you endless stream of  useless reports that supposly are needed to make some minor decision (which they just cannot make, anyway).

Do not expect help from HR, they are instrument of management and as such inclined to swipe the dirt under the carpet.  IT is often thought of as a dead expense anyway -- not seen as a potential revenue stream generator so the instances of nepotism and protectionism substantially improve chances of substandard people to fill those management positions.  As for some unknown reason percentage of PIMM among women is statistically higher. Actually in the animal world female predators are considerably more dangerous then male predictors of the same species. This is true both for scorpions and for lions.  In this sense affirmative gender-based promotion to management might have an interesting side effect on IT environment.

Remember that the person who is micromanaging you is your boss. It is prudent to consider a micromanaging boss to be a special type of corporate psychopath as he usually readily exhibiting traits that are destructive for human relations even in mild situation. That returns us to the question of where you should stay.  Moreover that means that any attempt to correct the bad behavior of the micromanager are doomed and will be simply perceived as a hostile actions by the PIMM.

Please be aware that they are special type of corporate psychopath s as such do not know such thing as remorse: perceiving a threat the micromanager will take steps to have you punished or even terminated to regain control. So you should not believe naive recommendation of some papers or books to confront micromanager and try somehow communicate your working problem to him: going this path you need to account for a possibility find yourself unemployed or in a more unpleasant situation at work.  Generally you should be very skeptical about content of books and pages devoted to micromanagement: most do not understand this very complex phenomenon and completely omit the psychopathology part of the equation.  And dealing with psychopath is not for everybody.

As with any psychopath you became dependent of his irrational behavior so you need carefully study what makes this type of psychopath tick, what makes you want to explode, and develop some way to deal with them. Most PIMM are driven by by two powerful factors:

  1. Their own insecurity and fear of failure and/or revelation of their incompetence.
  2. Underling components of obsessive compulsive disorder: they are addicts with a very peculiar type of addition.

Chambers book in one of the better one on this topic and while he tries to sit between two chairs he still provide some more or less useful recommendation that can be very carefully experimented with. Do not consider him to be an ultimate guru and please be skeptical about each and every recommendation (the same is totally applicable to this page; this is a very complex topic). In this elaborate game of cat and mouse you need to rely on your own instincts of what works and what does not. Neither this page not any other Web page or book provide ready made, 100% reliable recipes for dealing with this type of psychopath.  But they definitely can help to avoid making the most typical mistakes.

It is important to keep in mind that as a rule PIMM suffers from paranoia and/or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).  Traditionally military and retail traditionally suffered from micromanagers most. For example, in one of recent stories (Generals versus Rumsfeld) LA Times wrote that  Rumsfeld can be considered to be classical micromanager (semi-competent or incompetent but extremely arrogant and over-controlling functionary).

Generals versus Rumsfeld - Los Angeles Times

Since the day he took command of the Pentagon, Rumsfeld has been using his famous "8,000-mile screwdriver" to tilt the civil-military balance his way. According to his critics, he is Robert McNamara reborn — an arrogant micromanager, contemptuous of soldierly expertise and certain of his own infallibility.

Especially telling, in their eyes, was Rumsfeld's treatment of Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army's chief of staff, who before the Iraq invasion warned that the occupation was likely to pose large challenges. Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz immediately retaliated. For speaking unwelcome truths, Shinseki found himself pilloried, humiliated and marginalized. In the eyes of his fellow generals, Shinseki became a martyr.

In IT environment PIMM flourish due to stagnation and bureaucratization of many departments. Paradoxically due to downsizing and offshoring micromanagers had found in IT especially fertile ground.   In addition to creating stress and discontent among employees, the micromanager's style has three distinct features:

Micromanagement is like high blood pressure they usually cause: it varies in intensity. But despite large variety in intensity of some "over controlling behaviors" (for example there is a type of micromanages concentrate on micromanagement of time, the other of micromanagement of the work by proceduralazing every activity to death but not care about time that much and do not control deadlines too tightly) they all have several common characteristics that I will try to summarize based on my own experience as well as available literature (Chambers book is probably the best of what I read).

I am still working on the list, so it is far from being orthogonal, and features overlap or even repeat:

  1. Remember that PIMMs are a special type of psychopath: "corporate psychopath".  Not all micromanagers are corporate psychopath and not all corporate psychopath are micromanagers. Still those two categories considerably overlap, the fact that escaped Chambers. Incompetence dramatically increases the chances that a particular micromanager is a corporate psychopath. Paranoia makes this certain.

    While it’s not a diagnostic category found in the DSM IV (the therapist’s bible for diagnostic purposes) an exaggerated emphasis on control is part of a cluster of behaviors that can be labeled as compulsive and generally characterized by

    perfectionism, orderliness, workaholic tendencies, an inability to make commitments or to trust others and a fear of having their flaws exposed.

  2. A micromanager does not trust anybody. This creates a negative feedback loop where all employees becomes demoralized and stop trusting each other because they understand that manager doesn't trust them.  That destroys team solidarity and former team became a pack of frightened and suspicious toward each other animals.
  3. Micromanagers ("micromanagers") classic survival strategy is to surround themselves with staff members who mirror their personality and work style.  They destroy the teams extremely effectively converting them into a bunch of hostile toward each other indented servants. Staff who are different often feel devalued and especially stressed in such a setting

    In the beginning, you made snap decisions, you issued commands, employees and associates flocked to be under your umbrella. But then one day, your crowd of fans started shrinking, and as your audience grew smaller, the logical thing to do was, as the kings of yore did, surround yourself with a court of well-wishers and groupies.

    There are two types of subordinates that micromanager like:

  4. Micromanagers are more then just incompetent perfectionists as quantity turns into quality:
  5. Expect relentless criticism of your work and extreme forms on NIH syndrome. A micromanaging boss, by definition, robs an employee of independence and freedom to do the task. Every speck of work has to be put under a managerial microscope and, usually, subjected to endless rounds of procedural justification and/or criticism as a micromanager painstakingly deconstructs the job until, finally, its exactly as it would be had he done it himself.
     
  6. There are 'methods behind the madness.'  If your boss is a micromanager, your life can be a seemingly endless misery of humiliation and frustration. But there is some order behind this sordid situation. You can expect two things:
     
    1. Typical micromanager hobby is to convert performance feedback in torture chamber. Micromanagers take good  management practices to extremes and covert them into their opposites. interferes with employees' ability to do their jobs properly, while creating undue stress for them. Outstanding examples are evident in the area of performance feedback.
      • All employees need regular feedback on performance, though some need more detailed feedback more frequently than others.
         
      • From the micromanager, however, feedback tends to be constant and detailed and often excessively focused on procedural minutia rather than on overall performance, quality and results.
         
    2. When you  go to work in the morning you should know well that that yesterday's decisions (if any) may very well have changed today by your favorite PIMM. That means that sometimes you can accept unacceptable things from PIMM banking that he/she change them shortly.  This expectations poker is that part of life under PIMM.  Usually they have pretty short attention span.
       
  7. Chambers define five typical behaviors of a micromanager. Most of them deeply rooted in insecurity:
     
  8. A micromanager are almost always gatekeepers. They want to make sure that all communication into and out of his team goes through via the gates the he/she controls:
     
  9. The company is usually part of the problem and not a part of the solution. 
     
  10. Micromanagers are usually "Schemers" and their needs must be met at the expense of all others.
     
  11. Micromanagers are never accountable. Their techniques of control are so deft that they stay out of accountability's reach. Who can take someone to task for being sick? How can you challenge someone who is only trying to be helpful? If no one ever does anything right, how can it be wrong to seize control?
     

    It's really a tremendous waste of energy, of course, because you can never fully control someone else, at least, not forever. Letting go of the control urge frees up energy and makes the family business ownership world much more comfortable and enjoyable for all.

Chambers in his book on micromanagement suggest the formula: Micromanagement = Fear + Comfort + Confusion. This formula helps him to bring order to the variety of destructive managerial behaviors that fall under the term “micromanagement”, including:

Chambers also tries to suggest a simple classification of different types of micromanagers:

  1. First, control of methodology, or managers who insist on having the work done their way. This, says Chambers, is the essence of micromanagement—the behavior of exercising relentless control over the method by which work gets done—and it ranks number one on his micromanagement survey.
     
  2. The second behavior is control and manipulation of time—an especially intense and frustrating micromanagement behavior.
     
  3. Third, is excessive monitoring and reporting.
     
  4. Finally, dysfunctional delegation and collaboration, which takes the form of excessive demands for approval and an inability of the manager to subordinate self.

Those four are distinct behaviors and they can be present in various combinations. For example there are micromanagers that tightly control methodology (procedure freaks) and require excessive reporting (documentation freaks) but do not practice excessive monitoring and do not control time (pure control freaks). 

Micromanagers destroy their staff both individually (as human beings primarily by destroying self-respect) and as a social organism. In no time instead of a team you have a pack of stray dogs.  Among typical negative consequences of micromanagement we can mention:

Excessive demands for approval extinguish risk taking, fail to develop others and prepare them to take over the micromanager’s job, leave people unprepared for crises, bring potential for abuse, impose costs on customers, and result in underutilization of assets.

Excessive and dysfunctional monitoring and reporting involves more specific flaws that include an inability or unwillingness to establish and communicate expectations, monitoring through back channels; being unsupportive of telecommuting and working from remote locations; and monitoring the wrong things—being blinded by activity (also known as “input bias”), restrictions on process, monitoring short-term costs vs. outcome or long-term impact, and monitoring limited indicators rather than outcomes.

From my own experience, PIMM generally posses the kind of character that seeks faults as compared to seeking  working solutions.  Why Micromanagers do what they do:

Female micromanager are more difficult case then make micromanagers

It is important to know that micromanagers are often females and that the majority of victims are also females.  Female micromanager are more "kitty-catty" and usually are more dangerous opponent then male micromanagers. In this case "affirmative action" became a really nasty, perverted joke (you can be sure that they will be among active member of any "Female employees career mentioning" or "minorities empowerment" initiative).

Female micromanagers often hardest on their own sex

In case you are male be assured that will use their gender as a bulletproof west. In case you are a female they will definitely try to appeal to female solidarity, complain about nasty male-oriented culture of the company, "glass ceiling"  and/or exploit common for females problems.

 In Lovefraud Blog  post  When women are sociopaths-psychopaths the author aptly noted:

There is actually very little research data available regarding sociopathy in non-criminals and in women. The little research that has been done reveals that sociopathy in women entails two or three main features that are similar to those found in men. Namely, female sociopaths lack empathy and enjoy manipulating and exploiting others. Violent and impulsive behavior is less common in sociopathic women. This fact may make them more dangerous, as they more easily blend in with the rest of society.

The key traits of sociopathic females

A recent study of adolescent girls in detention performed by Crystal L. Schrum, M.A. and Randall T. Salekin, Ph.D. of the University of Alabama and reported in Behavioral Sciences and the Law, revealed the core qualities that best described young female sociopaths. The teens were callous and lacked empathy, had a grandiose sense of self worth and were conning and manipulative. They were also likely to engage in impersonal sexual relationships. Importantly, the researchers revealed that female sociopaths did not necessarily have “shallow emotions.” Again the lack of impulsivity and shallow emotions may make a female sociopath more difficult to spot.

... ... ...

The case of Michelle Drake also illustrates something else about female sociopaths. The courts are more likely to go easy on them. This attitude of the courts may reflect the fact that many people excuse the behavior of female sociopaths and feel sorry for them. Look at the cases of women in the news lately. We don’t know if the women involved are sociopaths, however, these cases do illustrate the double standard that exists in how we judge female as opposed to male antisocial behavior. Several women teachers have been found guilty of sexually exploiting students. They were treated very leniently for the same crimes that would have put a man in jail for many years.

Fighting micromanager is not for everybody and requires careful planning, studying the enemy and a lot of courage.  The details are documented in a separate page. Among them:

Remember, generals are worthless without soldiers. And on that note, be a brave soldier, not a sycophantic pawn! As Scott Berkun aptly noted:

The best advice for having a bad manager is to seek other employment. Don’t undervalue your happiness: it’s impossible to be happy if you work directly for someone you can’t stand. It may be difficult to find another job, but if you are willing to make compromises in other areas (salary, position, project, location, etc.) it will certainly be possible. Being happy and underpaid is a much better way to spend a life than unhappy and anything else.

Making life changes, even progressive beneficial ones, is difficult and leaving a bad manager might require weeks or months of less than pleasant living. However, on the other side of any decision to leave is something you can’t get where you currently are: the possibility of a good manager, and the sanity that it will bring you. The “never quit, tough it out” attitude is a mistake if you are in a situation that can never result in your satisfaction. I think the act of finding a new job, or even quitting before you've found one, can be a way to take more control. It puts you back at center of your life, where you belong. There are risks involved, but it puts you, and not your manager or company, at the center of them.

But for the sake of this essay I’ll assume that you are either unwilling or unable to leave. Maybe you’re looking for something new and have to endure a bad manager until you’ve found it, or perhaps your family is heavily dependent on you and your options are limited. That’s fine. Just remember to re-read the first paragraph every month or so to make sure you’re considering all your choices, and not hiding behind the deceptive safety of a merely acceptable job, when what you need is something more.

Notes:
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"Wake up call: The vast majority of managers at every level in American business and government are mindless thugs, abusive kiss up kick down morons who have not the ability to lead. Welcome to the culture that is the United States of America!"

Al Franken, cited via quote in Kissing up, kicking down

See also News section in the  main page  It covers wider spectrum of material...

[May 23, 2008] Amazon.com The Resiliency Advantage Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from Setbacks Al Siebert Books

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical book the provides valuable tools for confronting life's difficult challenges!!!, December 29, 2006
 
By Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
       
+++++

Self-rate yourself on a scale from 1 (meaning little agreement) to 5 (meaning strongly agree) on the following ten items:

(1) In a crisis or chaotic situation, I calm myself and focus on taking useful actions.
(2) I'm usually optimistic, seeing difficulties as temporary and believe things will eventually turn out well.
(3) I can tolerate high levels of uncertainty and ambiguity.
(4) I'm good at bouncing back from difficulties and quickly adapt to new developments.
(5) I'm self-confident and have a healthy concept of who I am.
(6) I prefer to work without a written job description since I'm more effective when I'm free to do what I think is best in each situation.
(7) I trust my intuition and "read" people well.
(8) I'm a good listener and have good empathy skills.
(9) I've been made stronger and better by difficult experiences.
(10) I've converted misfortune into good luck and even found benefits in bad experiences.

A low score of (under 25) means your resiliency skills are weak and you would greatly benefit from this amazing, easy-to-read, psychobabble-free book by Dr. Al Siebert, a clinical psychologist and Director of "The Resiliency Center". (`Resiliency' means (i) coping well with ongoing negative change (ii) sustaining good health and energy under constant pressure (iii) bouncing back from setbacks and adversities (iv) changing to a new way of living and working when an old way no longer works (v) and doing all this without acting in harmful ways.)
A middle score of (25 to 45) means your resiliency skills are adequate but probably can be greatly enhanced by using this book.
A high score of (over 45) means you have good resiliency skills and this book will validate many things you are doing right.

This book in a nutshell presents five resiliency "levels" or skills (level four is divided into 4 sub-levels while level 5 is divided into 3 sub-levels) so, in affect, the reader is presented with ten essential resiliency skills that Siebert has distilled from "the emerging new science of resiliency psychology." This book, besides other important things, shows you how to:

(1) Sustain strong, healthy energy in non-stop pressure and change
(2) Bounce back quickly from setbacks
(3) Gain strength from adversities
(4) Convert misfortune into good fortune
(5) Overcome tendencies to feel like a victim, and stay detached from victim reactions of others
(6) Overcome the three main resiliency barriers.

Who is this book written for? Siebert explains: "The resiliency guidelines in this book focus mainly on resiliency in the workplace, but they apply broadly to all aspects of life." (Actually, I think Siebert is being too restrictive in saying that these principles "focus mainly on resiliency in the workplace." Personally, I think these principles are essential to know so as to effectively play the game of life.)

What will this book NOT tell you? It "will not tell you what to do or how to act or think...Resilient people are those who decide that somehow, some way, they will do the very best they can to survive, cope, and make things turn out well." This book helps you develop your own unique way of being resilient by being both self-reliant and socially responsible.

As a physically disabled person, my personal favorite chapter was entitled "Mastering Extreme Resiliency Challenges." Included here are true stories from 9/11 survivors. I feel Siebert outdoes himself in this penultimate chapter.

Finally, this book has some key features. Important definitions, exercises, and other important and essential information are isolated from the main narrative as inserts so as to highlight key ideas. Each chapter is broken up into sections with anecdotes, examples, and true stories instead of having one long narrative. At the end of each chapter are insightful "Resiliency Development Activities" that help you utilize and think about the information from each chapter.

In conclusion, this is truly a helpful and unique book. Discover for yourself why this book was named the winner of the 2006 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the "Self Help" category at BookExpo America (the largest book publishing event in the United States) and why it was endorsed by the past president of the American Psychological Association!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Our Life is Not Determined By What Happens But How We React, October 28, 2005

By Norman Goldman "Editor of Bookpleasures.com" (Montreal) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
After reading Dr. Al Siebert's enlightening book, The Resiliency Advantage, I was reminded of the old adage that was often drummed into me by my parents, that our life is not determined by what happens to us but how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitudes we bring to life. Thinking positively creates a chain reaction pertaining to our thoughts, events and outcomes-a kind of catalyst that can create extraordinary results.

Siebert begins his book by telling his readers how he came to the conclusion that clinical psychology and psychiatry are not mental health professions but rather mental illness professions. There does not seem to be any focus on what makes individuals mentally healthy, but rather on what causes mental illnesses and how do we go about treating these illnesses.

This prompted Siebert to do extensive research as to why some people survive many of life's ordeals while others seem to continually flounder. As a result of his thirst for knowledge of the subject matter he developed a good understanding of what he calls "the survivor personality."

In 1996 he published his first book on the topic, "The Survivor Personality," and we now have the follow up, The Resiliency Advantage, that reflects the tremendous amount of knowledge Siebert accumulated in his search for the causes and effects of the survivor personality.

According to Siebert there exist several levels of resiliency that he deals with in depth in his book: optimizing your health, emotions and well-being; developing good problem solving skills; strengthening your inner selfs; unleashing your curiosity and enjoy learning from the school of life; power of positive expectations; integrating paradoxical abilities; allowing everything to work well or the synergy talent; the talent for serendipity.
In order to reinforce the learning of these principles, Siebert provides many exercises, as well as brief case histories showing just how they work out in practice.

There is some excellent material in this book, particularly the sections dealing with learning from failures, benefits of curious and playful questioning, the power of positive expectations, hope, optimism, and self-reliance. It is also heartening to learn, as the author points out, that resiliency psychology, a relatively new discipline, is making good progress and is now recognized as quite vital in understanding how it can help people fare better during adversity and recover more quickly from life's ordeals.

Writing about new disciplines is always a challenge, given the negative feedback one often receives from the traditionalists. However, Siebert has risen to the occasion with his breezy style of writing, and he admirably presents an accessible work that could have easily strayed, leaving his readers with a sense of boredom.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures

[Nov 5, 2007] Managerial Madness Micro-Managers by  Robert McGarvey

www.cioupdate.com

“Thus, when a project manager states, ‘I need you to do ‘X’ by Friday at 5 p.m.,” and calls the person to whom the task was assigned several times a day monitoring progress, the person is a classic micro-manager,” says Kimberly Mount, an adjunct professor of organizational psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a leadership development consultant.

The classic micro-manager cannot resist meddling at every step in a project. Good project managers parcel out work, then let team members go off and percolate individually and without interference. Not a micro-manager. These lines can be finely drawn, so understand that what makes micro-management particularly treacherous is “it is too much of a good thing,” says Stefanie Smith, head of Stratex, a coaching firm.

Chew on this factoid: according to Harry Chambers, author of My Way or the Highway: The Micromanagement Survival Guide , 71% of us indicate we are victims of micromanagement.

Would your team members say they are in that super-majority?

What causes micro-management? Experts point to three drivers:

  • Extreme detail orientation a.k.a, perfectionism.
  • Self-centeredness. That is, “[T]he belief you are smarter than the others,” says Todd Dewett, an associate professor of management at Wayne State University.
  • Anxiety. When you are worried that a flubbed project could drive your team’s work to Bangalore, India (or from Bangalore to Karachi … or wherever), it is easy to fall into eyeballing every step.

    “Micro-management is a symptom of thinking things are out of control,” adds consultant Don Maruska, author of How Great Decisions Get Made .

    Say that a project manager who doesn’t fear possible job loss is delusional bordering on Pollyanna and you may be right, meaning that, in many cases, the building blocks for micro-management have a foundation in reality. But that does not make it a good thing, particularly not when it is exhaustively documented that a micro-manager sucks the enthusiasm out a project team (Who wants to give his/her all when the boss redoes everything anyway?).

    Even worse. A classic symptom of the micro-manager is that he cannot get his own work done, says organizational consultant Simma Lieberman. So busy supervising the work of others, the micro-manager frequently finds his own to-do list gets ignored. And that is no way to win job security.

    • [Jan 26, 2007] Management Fad Adoption: An Exploration of Three Psychogenic Influences Kerry David Carson Paula Phillips Carson University of Louisiana at Lafayette Patricia A. Lanier Southeast Missouri State University Ross D. Judice Acadian Ambulance & Air Med Services

    A second type of neurotic leader identified by Kets de Vries (1994) is the suspicious type.  These managers feel like they can't trust anyone, so they are constantly on their guard.  Therefore, they are always preparing to retaliate against all assaults from menacing forces.  To help them prepare for assaults, they seek large inputs of information.  Because of their hypersensitivity, distrustfulness, and suspiciousness, they try to control their work environment by being over-involved in rules and details.

    According to Westen & Shedler (1999), individuals with a paranoid personality disorder are hostile people who express anger out of proportion to the situation.  This anger is a result of their perception that others are trying to do them harm.  They tend to misinterpret others' intentions as malevolent, frequently getting into power struggles and arguments.  Once a conflict arises, the paranoid executive will tend to hold a grudge and be very critical of the other person, losing all capacity to see anything good in the other person.  Projecting unacceptable feelings onto others, they tend to come across as self-righteous and moralistic.  Once a major problem arises they see it as disastrous and unsolvable, but they won't confide their concerns to others for fear of betrayal.

    The suspicious executive mistrusts everyone.  S/he can be described as intense, cynical, inflexible, and distrustful.  Because of their continuing paranoia, which is typically unjustified, suspicious personalities defend against any perceived threat--real or imagined.  Stubborn and rigid, they rarely relax or let up their guard.  

    They maintain that hypervigilance is their key to survival.  Everyone in the organization is seen as a potential menace, so the suspicious executive keeps a safe distance from colleagues.  This distance makes interactions seem impersonal and callous.  They seem void of kindness, sentimentality, and compassion.  On the occasions when suspicious personalities exhibit humor, it is usually thinly veiled hostility--expressed in a stabbing and sarcastic manner (Carson & Carson, 1997; Carson & Carson, 1998).

    Suspicious executives need to control in order to ensure their safety and security.  When they are not in charge, the suspicious personality feels vulnerable.  However, they hide such concerns because to expose weaknesses would give others an upper hand.  Therefore, the paranoid tries to conceal feelings of foreboding, tension, and distress.  They bluff their way through danger by acting fearless, inaccessible, and potentially vengeful.  To protect themselves, suspicious executives emphasize organizational structure, centralized power, environmental intelligence, and diversification (Kets de Vries & Miller, 1984). 

    Management fashions are adopted by suspicious executives to reduce risk, increase control, and augment power.  Fashions are then dropped to cover up failed initiatives, thus avoiding criticism and attack (cf. Carson & Carson, 1997; Carson & Carson, 1998).

    [Jan 22, 2007] Surviving and Thriving (At Work and At Home) Micromanagers Try to Manage Everything

    February 01, 2006 ( www.beatyourowndrum.com  ) I have several other posts on Micromanagers in my September archives, so if your manager is a micromanager go check them out.

    Micromanagers are insidious. I will not state this any other way, because I feel ALL micromanagers should be doing something else than managing. I am sure there is something that they are more qualified to do.

    If you work "with" or "for" one, you are groaning right now. Actually you never work "with" a micromanager and you should never work "for" one.

    Micromanagers do not allow you to work "with" them. They are either doing your job or telling you how to do it. Then when you do not do something exactly the way they tell you, watch out. So it is impossible to work "with" a micromanager.

    It is also impossible to work "for" one, because it will eventually make you mad, intolerant, insolent, obstructive, physically or mentally ill, or insubordinate.

    Micromanagers do not stay within their own domain because they subscribe to a fundamental principle. The entire office is their domain. Watch the micromanager in your office - every office has at least one. They will assign tasks to people they have no authority over. They will call meetings about issues that pertain to another manager's domain.

    If you get assigned a task by someone who does not have authority to do so, go to your manager and discuss it. That is assuming your manager is NOT a micromanager. If s/he is a micromanager you should not be talking about anything you are not asked to talk about while you are out searching for your new job. I am being totally serious. It is like creating a feeding frenzy for sharks.

    Give a micromanager an inch, they will take a mile and then some. If you are a manager and you just had something assigned to you by a micromanager that is your peer, ignore it. I would never confront the micromanager directly. You are asking for more trouble than you need to deal with. Usually if you ignore the request, (even after 6 attempts) the micromanager will find someone else to do it. After all the office is their domain and they know there are plenty of suckers who will obey.

    In short, rule of thumb is:

    Avoid any interaction with a micromanager at all costs. If you avoid them, they will avoid you.

    Again if you report to one, you know what you should be doing.

    [Jan 21, 2007] Improve your supervisor relationship and reduce stress - MayoClinic.com

    Show respect. Even if your boss hasn't yet won your loyalty, he or she is still entitled to your respect. Your boss is responsible for your work and the work of your colleagues. That can be a significant burden. Try to understand the business from your boss's perspective. Try to treat him or her with the respect the position and the responsibility warrant.

    [Jan 14, 2007] Creating Passionate Users BrainDeath by Micromanagement The Zombie Function

    The most important function for a manager is X = -Y, where X is employee brain use and Y is degree of management. To use the horse whisperer's advice, The more you use your reins, the less they'll use their brains."

    If you asked 100 managers which they'd prefer--employees who think, or mindless zombies who respond only (and exactly) as ordered, you'd get 100 responses of, "What a ridiculous question. We hire smart people and stay out of their way so they can do their jobs." And if you asked 100 managers to define their management style, none would claim to be micromanagers. Probe deeper, though, and the truth begins to emerge.

    Ask managers if their direct reports can make decisions as well as the manager can, and they hesitate. Ask if the manager could step in at a moment's notice and perform the employee's job, and too many managers would say--with pride--"yes."

    Do you have a micromanager? Are you a micromanager? Are all micromanagers clueless or and/or evil? Of course not. Most micromanagers I've known (or had) were driven by one or both of the following:

    1) Not enough time
    Taking the time to give employees the same data, knowledge, and skills needed to do things right can be a luxury many managers just can't afford. Or so they think. While it's oh so tempting to just step in and DO IT, micromanagement doesn't scale. Better to:
    Take the time it takes [now] so it takes less time [later]."

    2) Concern for quality
    Micromanagers often believe that they know more, and more importantly -- care more. Often they're right. But it's a downward spiral--

    Of course micromanagers don't actually create zombies--they simply inspire (or force) zombieism on the job. Follow those work zombies home, and their zombiness vanishes. Thier eyes light up, their brain kicks in, and their passion for playing with their kids, championing a cause, or just playing their favorite after-work hobby emerges. You see the side of them that micromanagement crushes.

    [Jan 12, 2007] Can micromanagement be cured by Mike Toten Date:  

    Aug 22, 2005 (workplaceinfo.com.au). As this series of articles on micromanagement has emphasised, micromanagers can be very tenacious people. Their management style is influenced by their fears, control mentality, personality and need for comfort, which are often very deeply ingrained. Progress with reducing their tendency to micromanage will be gradual and incremental, but it can be achieved.

    ... ... ...

    ... ... ...

    What if none of this works?

    Unfortunately, there are some cases where micromanagement arises from deep-seated personality traits. These managers may find it impossible to change their behaviour significantly. There are also others who, for whatever reason, are determined not to change.

    Where this happens, there are two options:

    1. Damage control. Take them out of the loop for some activities, in order to limit their interference and disruption. Change approval processes and reduce the need for them to work in collaboration with others. Be aware of any efforts to make themselves indispensable. These steps will probably harm their career prospects, but there are inevitable consequences for resisting improvements.
       
    2. Removal from management role.

    [Jan 11, 2007] Micromanagers mainly feel need for control - Cincinnati Business Courier

    "Who, me? No, of course not. I'm thorough. I'm competent. OK, so I am a little methodical. That's not bad, is it?"

    Micromanagers, like many addicts -- alcoholics, rageaholics, fanatics, etc. -- are the last people on the planet to recognize that their addiction is in controlling others. The compulsion to look over your employees' shoulders has nothing to do with being meticulous or careful -- it has everything to do with control.

    Yes, you. That's right, I'm talking to you, El Presidente. Your employees are calling you much worse. For example, they might be calling you a ruler, extremist, bureaucrat, tyrant, bully, persecutor and tormenter. And trust me, those are the nice names. People who micromanage do so because they are the ones who feel unsure and self-doubting about their abilities.

    [Jan 11, 2007] Self-Helpless True Tales of a Working Girl Does Workaholic = Micromanager

    As you folks know, I have extensive experience working for micromanagers. While I do not believe that every workaholic is a micromanager, I would have to say this is the case most of the time. I’ll tell you why.

    Definition of a Workaholic: One who has a compulsive and unrelenting need to work. It is sometimes linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder… just like someone who micromanages.

    Definition of a Micromanager: One who directs or controls in a detailed, often meddlesome manner.

    As I’ve mentioned before, many micromanagers are individuals suffering from a compulsive disorder (which may be helped by a swift kick, or not).

    Workaholic Behavior:

    Need to control
    Inflexibility
    Perfectionism
    you bring work home
    You think about work and how to “fix” things while at home or on vacation
    You want to do it all yourself; you do not properly delegate tasks

    Micromanaging Behavior:

    Need to control
    Inflexibility
    Perfectionism
    Excessive criticism
    You want to do it all yourself; you do not properly delegate tasks

    As with micromanagers, workaholics also tend to suffer from low self esteem. Micromanagement and workaholism are irrational behaviors. Both result in damaged/diminished social relationships, health problems and distorted thinking. Long ago, the term workaholic was used as a compliment. Since business changed and office cultures evolved, so has the term.

    If someone you know is a workaholic, it may be time to throw them a life preserver and tow them to safety. They can be shown the way. If someone you know is a micromanager, tie an anvil to their ankle and throw them overboard. They won’t be missed.

    [Jan 10, 2007] My Way or the Highway Review

    Unfortunately, it is an attitude still held many business owners. Even more unfortunately, this narrow-minded style of leadership approach has brought many of their businesses to a painful end.

    The illusion of infallibility

    That companies led by this type of leader more often than not come to bad ends should come as no surprise. Such leadership is the ultimate consequence of living and working in denial. While the business is floundering, the talent pool is heading south, and (somewhat self-fulfilling) rumors of failure are circulating. The boss is lashing out and blaming friend and foe that they are to blame for declining sales, increased expenses, cash-flow problems, poor advertising, lousy quality and that no one cares.

    And the longer the list of problems, the longer the list of others to blame, from the banks to the unappreciative customers and employees.

    But never the boss. And the attitude is understandable. After all, who took an idea, went to friends, family, investors and anyone who was willing to provide a bit of the stake? Who fought the odds and advice against starting the business? Who worried the first few months about not making it? Who beat back the creditors while getting established? Who pushed and prodded everyone to make it a success?

    Why, you did, of course! No one has earned a better claim to infallibility than you.

    Losing your Midas touch

    But when the problems start, you desperately wonder why your golden touch is no longer working. Did Lady Luck withdraw her blessing, did your mojo run out, did you lose your personal good luck charm? Clearly, the gods must be conspiring against you.

    In the beginning, you made snap decisions, you issued commands, employees and associates flocked to be under your umbrella. But then one day, your crowd of fans started shrinking, and as your audience grew smaller, the logical thing to do was, as the kings of yore did, surround yourself with a court of well-wishers and groupies.

    Your commands are obeyed, and you tolerate no disagreement. After all, your genius created this empire. Who are these impudent, disloyal serfs to question your wisdom? But strangely, those commands that in the past led to greatness, don't seem to have the same magical effect. And of course, in your wisdom, you find fault not with the command but with the ineptitude of those who are supposed to be carrying out your wishes.

    And when your employees and customers fail to remember and appreciate all you have done for them, what do you do? Fire a few folks, tell a few demanding customers to shop elsewhere and blame the latest group of liberals for creating a population that does not want to work and fails to recognize the heroism of the entrepreneurial class. As you approach the possibility of failure, it seems that higher powers have taken issue with your hubris and decided to clip your wings.

    A shot at redemption

    But like Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," there is still time for your redemption.

    To begin with, listen to the prophets of the past who tell us that leadership to launch a company and leadership to administer a company are two very different creatures.

    In the beginning it was all you. Now success demands teamwork. To expect blind faith and mindless employees is to live in another time. If you want loyalty, enthusiasm and a hard working group of guys and gals to build your business, promote them from serfs to knighthood. Ask their advice, get their opinions, remove any sense of killing the messenger and become the Vince Lombardi of your business.

    Sadly, so many leaders of American commerce and industry have created a climate of fear and insecurity as employees worry about factory closings and the trend of job outsourcing. These bottom-line addicts treat employees -- a valuable resource -- as some expendable commodity. This is not the first time our corporate leaders have been accused of short-term thinking.

    While your business is your life, working for you is part of the life of your employees. If you want a caring and committed work force who feel a genuine sense of belonging and partnership (that does not mean making the work place a social club), you'll have to relinquish the reins of total control and empower your employees.

    If you want a team of employees that will complement you and make your business a success for everyone involved, hire wisely and focus on teamwork. A leader, skilled in managing for the most, brings the greatness out in his or her people and deposits it in the bank.

    Paul Adams is Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at Ramapo College of New Jersey and the Author of "Fail Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful." E-mail: drfailproof@earthlink.net

    [Jan 3, 2007] My Way or the Highway: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Micromanagement

    Four out of five workers say they've been a victim of micromanagement. But what does the term really mean? In his very readable new book My Way or the Highway-the Micromanagement Survival Guide, author Harry E. Chambers writes, "Basically, micromanagement is the excessive, unwanted, counterproductive interference and disruption of people or things." It occurs when influence, involvement and interaction begin to subtract value from people and processes. It is the perception of inappropriate interference in someone else's activities, responsibilities, decision making and authority."

    Chambers lists the five defining behaviors of a micromanager. Most of them deeply rooted in insecurity:

    1. Micromanagers exercise raw power. 
      They love to flex their muscles-asserting their power and authority just because they can. While unable to subordinate themselves, they control others with an uncompromising sense of entitlement and self-interest.
       
    2. Micromanagers dictate time.
      They like to control and manipulate others' time. They don't trust people to assess their own workload, so they routinely dictate priorities and distort deadlines. And while they guard their own time with an iron fist, they're notorious for interrupting others, misusing and mismanaging meetings and perpetuating crises.
       
    3. Micromanagers control how work gets done.
      They want everything to be done their way. After all, the boss knows best-or so he or she believes. They dismiss others' knowledge, experience and ideas-no matter how good-then hover over them to make sure they're doing things "right."
       
    4. Micromanagers require undue approvals.
      They share responsibility, but not authority. As the "bottlenecks" of the workplace, they allow no one to move forward without their approval-even on routine or time-sensitive matters.
       
    5. Micromanagers demand frequent and unnecessary reports.
      They are driven to know what's going on. They monitor workers to death-requiring a stream of needless reports that focus on activity over outcomes.

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    Created: May 16, 2005. Last updated: October 04, 2009