Another high control manager you’ll come across in business is the Silent Dictator.
Some ways to recognize Silent Dictators
- They surround themselves with people who are dependent.
- They ignore others, even cutting others off in meetings.
- They have crystal clear ideas about what to do and can be poor listeners when presented with alternatives.
- Interactions are soft and subtle, yet often leave others feeling attacked and on the defensive.
- They do not focus on developing others.
- They are detailed.
- They manipulate groups by purposefully ignoring people until those people stay silent.
Some ways to work with the Silent Dictator
- Swallow your ego. This is someone who leads, not follows. If you tell a Silent Dictator what to do, his/her need to lead will outweigh his/her desire to follow good advice, and you will find yourself ignored. Being right, and being effective, is (unfortunately) a forced choice when working with a Silent Dictator
- Try “Look, you need to make your own decision. What I would do is… but again, that’s based on my own strengths and shortcomings and interpretations etc…”
- Give yourself a long lead time. You won’t always get heard, so make sure you have plenty of chances to get in front of this person to repeatedly make your point.
- Match his/her quiet, even-keeled style. Never show frustration.
- Ignore signals that you are being ignored and keep at it!
- Have the details at the ready for that moment when you do get through.
- Yield. Do not push or create a power struggle.
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I'm Jason. I make people shine. My mission is to help 1 million people tell their stories better. 