arse
19th May 2009, 06:38
LEADERS AND RULERS have used fear and intimidation for centuries, and the practice still exists today in many of the schools and organizations.
This "leadership style" has many common denominators, whether it's practiced in a school building or a corporation. If you want to rule by fear and intimidation, here is how to do it right.
Use an inconsistent interpersonal style. One day, act very warm, friendly, and open toward people. Behave as if you are interested in their personal lives and problems they might be having at work. The next day, act very cool, formal, and aloof. This tactic is even more effective if you change your style within minutes. That keeps people on their heels.
Constantly shift priorities and initiatives. This enables you to stay a step ahead of everyone. You do not have to invent new priorities; simply change the one you want to emphasize. Keep people working on the newly stated priority until they are about 90 percent finished; then introduce the new direction. Do not let them feel a sense of satisfaction for reaching an objective. Later, you can use their failure to complete an initiative as leverage.
Schedule meetings without announcing the agenda. Make the meeting sound very important but be very vague about the purpose. Then fully prepare for the meeting's topic. Call on people, asking pointed questions. Act displeased with uncertain responses.
Set rules to deal with exceptions. Many organizations have policies that are general, but exceptions to the policies are also dealt with quickly. This is wrong. For instance, perhaps a company's dress code is stated as "a professional appearance." If a worker shows up in flip-flops, you should immediately pass a rule that no open-toed shoes may be worn to work.
Reprimand people the right way. Sooner or later, everyone makes a mistake. This is perfect for creating fear. Describe and rehash their error in painful detail. Then confide you are having doubts about their ability and perhaps it would be a good idea to replace them, because their mistake has far-reaching consequences. You can always play the "poor attitude" card. Whatever you do, don't suggest any corrective actions.
Realize that it's okay to recognize a job well done. Once in a while you may have to recognize good performance. Emphasize that the important thing is that you are pleased, which everyone should strive for. Then remind them that people are supposed to have stellar performance all of the time. Make it clear that now you will be expecting a higher level of work out of them. Try to instill a sense of futility and give them an additional task as a reward.
Wave the big stick frequently. Workers naturally fear for their jobs. Even if you have minimal influence over raises, promotions, salaries, and terminations, you are still in a position to inflict fear. Frequently remind workers that you control their destiny.
Keep some of the weak ones around. You must keep in check your instinct to single out the weak workers and dispose of them. Weak people can be of use. Others will see their fear and intimidation and learn to fear you. The weak can be your eyes and ears, manipulated into willingly providing juicy bits of information or spying on others.
Gang up on individuals. Not everyone is weak. A few will be admired because of competence or personal qualities. Keep an eye on those people in case one of them stands up to you. Use the authority of your position and policies to gain leverage. Get your boss to cooperate or bring a colleague when you meet with the person. There is power in numbers.
Play favorites. Develop an inner circle of loyal supporters. They should also fear you, but less, because they think they are on your good side. Pick people who jockey for position and are ruthless in gaining it. Let them in on little secrets, give them special favors, and spend extra time with them. Make outsiders feel excluded.
Work the grapevine. People in your inner circle should be well plugged into the grapevine. Communicate your disapproval of someone through the grapevine, rather than going to the person directly. Let them hear from someone else that you are unhappy and are going to do something about it.
De-emphasize family and life outside of work. Act completely indifferent toward people's personal lives. Make no allowances (unless, of course, it is for one of your favorites). Place high demand on evening and weekend hours for salaried employees.
By using these techniques, your workers will soon learn that you always win. Then, all they'll care about is making you happy and being one of the favorites. At that point, you have them right where you want them.
From the Stanford Executive Course :ouch:
This "leadership style" has many common denominators, whether it's practiced in a school building or a corporation. If you want to rule by fear and intimidation, here is how to do it right.
Use an inconsistent interpersonal style. One day, act very warm, friendly, and open toward people. Behave as if you are interested in their personal lives and problems they might be having at work. The next day, act very cool, formal, and aloof. This tactic is even more effective if you change your style within minutes. That keeps people on their heels.
Constantly shift priorities and initiatives. This enables you to stay a step ahead of everyone. You do not have to invent new priorities; simply change the one you want to emphasize. Keep people working on the newly stated priority until they are about 90 percent finished; then introduce the new direction. Do not let them feel a sense of satisfaction for reaching an objective. Later, you can use their failure to complete an initiative as leverage.
Schedule meetings without announcing the agenda. Make the meeting sound very important but be very vague about the purpose. Then fully prepare for the meeting's topic. Call on people, asking pointed questions. Act displeased with uncertain responses.
Set rules to deal with exceptions. Many organizations have policies that are general, but exceptions to the policies are also dealt with quickly. This is wrong. For instance, perhaps a company's dress code is stated as "a professional appearance." If a worker shows up in flip-flops, you should immediately pass a rule that no open-toed shoes may be worn to work.
Reprimand people the right way. Sooner or later, everyone makes a mistake. This is perfect for creating fear. Describe and rehash their error in painful detail. Then confide you are having doubts about their ability and perhaps it would be a good idea to replace them, because their mistake has far-reaching consequences. You can always play the "poor attitude" card. Whatever you do, don't suggest any corrective actions.
Realize that it's okay to recognize a job well done. Once in a while you may have to recognize good performance. Emphasize that the important thing is that you are pleased, which everyone should strive for. Then remind them that people are supposed to have stellar performance all of the time. Make it clear that now you will be expecting a higher level of work out of them. Try to instill a sense of futility and give them an additional task as a reward.
Wave the big stick frequently. Workers naturally fear for their jobs. Even if you have minimal influence over raises, promotions, salaries, and terminations, you are still in a position to inflict fear. Frequently remind workers that you control their destiny.
Keep some of the weak ones around. You must keep in check your instinct to single out the weak workers and dispose of them. Weak people can be of use. Others will see their fear and intimidation and learn to fear you. The weak can be your eyes and ears, manipulated into willingly providing juicy bits of information or spying on others.
Gang up on individuals. Not everyone is weak. A few will be admired because of competence or personal qualities. Keep an eye on those people in case one of them stands up to you. Use the authority of your position and policies to gain leverage. Get your boss to cooperate or bring a colleague when you meet with the person. There is power in numbers.
Play favorites. Develop an inner circle of loyal supporters. They should also fear you, but less, because they think they are on your good side. Pick people who jockey for position and are ruthless in gaining it. Let them in on little secrets, give them special favors, and spend extra time with them. Make outsiders feel excluded.
Work the grapevine. People in your inner circle should be well plugged into the grapevine. Communicate your disapproval of someone through the grapevine, rather than going to the person directly. Let them hear from someone else that you are unhappy and are going to do something about it.
De-emphasize family and life outside of work. Act completely indifferent toward people's personal lives. Make no allowances (unless, of course, it is for one of your favorites). Place high demand on evening and weekend hours for salaried employees.
By using these techniques, your workers will soon learn that you always win. Then, all they'll care about is making you happy and being one of the favorites. At that point, you have them right where you want them.
From the Stanford Executive Course :ouch: