Control Freak

Theory X

Subject: Management, Theory X, Success, Change, Initiative, Leadership, Motivation, Strategy

By Victor Antonio

Control freaks are everywhere.  I don’t know about you, but I’m allergic to control freaks.  I break out in a cold sweat and at times I even get a twitch in my neck.  Just kidding. 

My first job out of college I worked for such a freak.  Let me give you an example.  One day Joe wanted me to put together a cover letter on a bid we were sending out to a potential customer.  After I finished my first draft, I reviewed carefully and then took it into Joe’s office for his final approval.  Joe took one quick look at the letter and unholstered his red pen faster than Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven.

After he butchered my cover letter, he hurried me out of his office with these words, “Let me take a final look at it before you send it.”

I went back my desk to perform major surgery on the bloodied, red-inked cover letter.  I made some additional corrections and modifications before I printed it out and took it back into Joe’s office for a final review…so I thought.

Joe took a quick glance at the letter and out came the red pen again.  He edited a few more things and began to add some more things to the letter.  After he was done, he look at me and asked, “What do think of the changes?” 

Now, before I tell you what I answered, here’s what I was thinking...

Victor’s Brain:  Alright Joe, so lets see if I got this straight.  I take the time and effort to draft what I think is a pretty compelling proposal.  At first glance you butcher my letter and then ask me to go make the changes.  I now bring the letter back and you continue your butchering spree to the point where I can’t recognize anything in the letter that WAS originally mine.  You’ve made so many edits and changes that it is now YOUR letter.  And now you’re asking me after all has been bloodied and done, what I think of the changes?  You have to be freaking kidding me.  If you knew you were going to make these changes or wanted it done a certain way you should’ve done the damn thing yourself!  What do I think of the changes?  I’ll tell you what I think of the changes…

“Joe, the changes look fine.  I think they’ll work.” I replied to Joe. 

I know what you, the reader, must be thinking, “What a wimp!"  Why didn’t you tell him what you really thought of the letter?”  Yeah, you’re probably right.  I should’ve said something at the time.  But keep in mind I was fresh out of college, this was my first real job, and I was unsure of myself.

I believe it was Goethe who once said something along these lines, “Treat a man as he is he will remain as his is, treat as he can be and he will become that which he can be.”  I like to simplify this further and state, “Treat them like idiots, they behave as idiots.  Treat them as responsible employees, and they’ll behave like responsible employees.”

This to me is the essence of the power of expectation.  When you expect others to perform and give them the support and nurturing they need, they will perform at the level you expect them to perform.  If you treat them like children, they will behave accordingly.

If you hire someone to work for you, do so because you respect what they have to offer or contribute to the end goal.  But when you hire them and don’t listen to their opinions, you’ve nullified the very reason for hiring them in the first place. 

What Joe apparently never learned was to trust others; especially their points of view.  Everyone brings their perspective to any company.  Everyone has a way of doing things that they believe is best.  I like to call these beliefs biases which represent a sum total of their past experiences.  When you hire someone, you are hiring that sum total.  A great manager will utilize those biases, those past experiences, from each individual employee. That’s what great managers do; take the best from each of us to make the whole better.

As for my motivation to work for Joe, it eroded over the next years to the point where I eventually left the company.  I recall times thereafter when Joe would ask me to prepare a bid or proposal.  My first mental reaction was, “What’s the point, you’re just going to hack it up anyway.  Why don’t you just write it yourself!”  My attitude went to hell-in-a-hand-basket.  My motivation to work at the company soon followed.  It got to the point where I didn’t even want to show up to the office.

The ‘letter experience’ was the beginning of three years of control freaking.  Joe was a consummate control freak.  He was a Theory X (command and control) type of manager.  He had to be involved in every decision.  He had to at every meeting.  During those three years I saw a lot of great employees leave the company.  Their number one complaint, “Joe’s a control freak.  I can’t take being treated like a child.”

I learned a lot from Joe.  He taught me a lot of what NOT to do if I ever became a manager.  Even today, my management style is very Theory Y (allow people to make decisions) because of my experience with Joe.   I strongly believe that if you’re going to have a great team and a healthy working environment, you have to have a healthy respect for the people who work for you.

Control freaks can damage a company by driving good people with good ideas away with their attitude, “No one can do it as well as I can.” Or, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”  If you have this attitude or mindset, WARNING, you are not management material.  You’ll save a lot of jobs and a lot of companies some heartaches by taking the entrepreneur route and starting your own company.  

If you currently work for a control freak, look out! 

See Part 2: Control Freak - Theory Y

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Copyright © 2005 by Victor Antonio   All rights reserved.  This article MAY be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are included as part of the article’s body.  All inquiries, including information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio.