It is common for workers to feel that their managers are being controlling. But where is the drive for power and control coming from? Is the manager trying to compensate for low self-esteem and feelings of insecurity, or is this person being judged unfairly? After all, in order to be successful as a manager, the position often demands that a person take a controlling and authoritarian approach.
To determine if a manager is being controlling and authoritative due to low self-esteem, here are a few characteristic signs to look out for:
An Insecure Manager Cannot Admit a Mistake
In order to cover up feelings of incompetence and inadequacy, the manager will avoid being associated with failure in any way. Though it is common for a manager to not personally take the blame for a subordinate's mistake, it will even carry over to mistakes that the manager has personally made. In such a situation, the insecure manager will always look for a scapegoat to shoulder the blame or else will claim that the error was due to uncontrollable circumstances.
A Controlling Manager Will Be Resistant to Feedback or Criticism
A manager who is being overly controlling will instinctively shun all kinds of feedback, constructive criticism, new ideas, and suggestions. Such information will be threatening to managers with low self-esteem since they are trying to convince themselves that only they know best.
An Insecure Manager Cannot Give Others Credit
It is common and natural for managers to take credit for good performance in front of their superiors. This is true even when the workers were responsible for the positive outcome. But when insecurity is involved, then the manager will not even privately give credit to those who worked to achieve the results.
A Controlling Manager Will Try to Prevent Employee Advancement and Development
In order to preserve their precarious position of power and control, insecure managers will try to prevent other employees from advancing, developing, or empowering themselves in any way. Delegation of tasks will be limited, and important or sensitive information will be withheld. Any employees who possess leadership qualities, talents, or the potential for high performance will be consistently, and sometimes even violently, pushed to the sidelines.
With an Insecure Manager, Employees Will Feel Stifled
In order to be successful, good managers will often direct their employees in an authoritarian manner. When this is done correctly, employees will generally feel secure since there is a clear system in place and they know what is expected of them. However, when authority is coming from a place of insecurity in the manager, then the employees will feel exactly the opposite: suffocated, anxious, and insecure.
In short, though good managers need to be controlling and authoritative in order to be successful, when these qualities come in an extreme way it is often a clear sign that the manager's insecurity is involved
Susan Brown - Susie Brown is a small business consultant and freelance writer specializing in business and personal finance.
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