Time Management and Productivity Pro Laura Stack Talks Taming the Inner Control Freak

DENVER - March 20, 2013 - PRLog -- DENVER, Colorado, March 20, 2013 – When it comes to moving up the career ladder, there’s a fine line between the forceful personality and the control freak. In her latest blog titled “Just Say No to Your Inner Control Freak,” time management and productivity pro Laura Stack discusses the difference between an assertive management style and exasperating control freak.

In a competitive workplace, the two are differentiated quickly by management and coworkers. The confident worker with a strong personality is probably heading up the ladder ahead of the pack. But the control freak who operates with a “my way or the highway” attitude is probably not on the fast track to career success.

Granted, Stack says, most control freaks can probably coast despite their attitude, particularly if they’re a genius or willing to use less-than-scrupulous tactics to advance. But the true control freak will only get so far in a career path, because nobody wants to work with a person who invalidates them.

“Your subordinates will never you give you 100 percent if you disempower them by hovering over their shoulders, or constantly disparage their abilities or judgment,” Stack says. “They’ll either resent you or will get so nervous they won’t be able to do their jobs right.

“And if you’re always in their business, you won’t get your own job done, either.”
Many people know what it is like to suffer under a micromanager. Many have left jobs because of them. Control freaks in leadership positions constrain creativity, drive depression and kill camaraderie, Stack says.

“You certainly don’t want be one.”

Stack suggests that micromanagement tendencies may exist in most people, but the trick is to identify the inner control freak and make it behave.

According to Stack, many control freaks live in denial. One may recognize controlling tendencies within if they:

• Resist delegation.
• Obsess over details instead of monitoring the big picture.
• Insist on retaining all decision-making power.
• Feel compelled to constantly check in with workers.
• Leave their own work undone while “fixing” everyone else’s.
“If you recognize these characteristics in yourself, you can’t let your inner control freak out or you’ll just drag down your team’s productivity,” Stack says.

Stack offers some pointers for taming the inner beast:

1. Listen. Take the opinions of teammates seriously.

“Don’t just assume you know better than they do about everything,” Stack says. “We all have our inspirations and ideas, and success comes easier when you leverage other people’s experience, skill-sets, relationships, and creativity.”

2. Talk. Get to know team members on a personal level in order to better understand their motivations.

“Speak to them openly and demonstrate that you value their roles in achieving your organization’s strategic goals.”

3. Let go. Leadership is not about grasping every shred of power.

“Yes, you’re loaded down with responsibilities, but your leaders expect you to pass on much of your workload to others,” Stack says. “So do it.

“Within the limits of their authority, let your subordinates delegate some of their duties. That helps make everyone accountable for the success of the team.”

4. Get back to work. Leaders have a duty to provide direction, set priorities and work toward alignment with the rest of the organization.

“If you try to do that and everything else, you won’t be able to do any of it well,” Stack says. “Start trusting people to do their jobs and focus on your own strategic priorities.”
Stack says that some experts believe that control freaks can’t be fixed.

“There’s a belief that micromanaging is the natural outgrowth of a stingy soul, eager to take advantage and claim the accomplishments of others,” Stack says. “I’m not sure this is entirely true; I believe stress can drive otherwise ordinary people into the micromanaging straightjacket, especially if their own bosses micromanage them.
“At some point, I suspect micromanaging also becomes addictive, hard to shake even under the best of circumstances.”

For those who recognize the problem within themselves, Stack say they’re one step closer to doing something about it. Stack recommends trying to implement the solutions outlined in her blog to break free of the inner control freak, and in doing so enjoy a new approach to upward mobility in the workplace.

For more information on reducing inefficiencies to improve productivity, visit http://www.TheProductivityPro.com website, Email Laura@TheProductivityPro.com, or call 303-471-7401.

About Laura Stack:

Laura Stack is a time management and productivity expert who has been speaking and writing about human potential and peak performance since 1992. She has implemented employee productivity improvement programs at Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, UBS, Aramark, and Bank of America. Stack presents keynotes and seminars internationally for leaders, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and professional services firms on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in the workplace.

The president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management firm specializing in high-stress environments, Stack is the bestselling author of five books:  “What to do When There’s Too Much to do” (2012); “SuperCompetent” (2010); “The Exhaustion Cure” (2008); “Find More Time” (2006); “Leave the Office Earlier” (2004). The 2011-2012 President of the National Speakers Association and recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, Stack has served as a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, Xerox, and Office Depot and is the creator of The Productivity Pro® planner by Day-Timer. Widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of employee productivity and workplace issues, Stack has been featured nationally on the CBS Early Show and CNN, and in USA Today and the New York Times.