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That’s right.You want to be a control freak--the good kind, that is. Yes, there's a difference between a freaky control freak (the bad kind) and a funky control freak (the good kind).
Here are 5 reasons why being a funky control freak is a good thing for you and your career:
1. It's about being positive. Highly successful leaders and those who aspire to leadership have learned the art of taking control in a positive way. Individuals who have mastered the control of their thoughts, behaviors and actions enjoy huge success because they are clear on what they want, they are clear on communicating their vision and they are clear on knowing what needs to be and by whom to get things done.
Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Ellen, and Oprah are just a few examples of well known control freaks who have learned to use positive control to their advantage.
2. It’s about execution. The art of getting things done is best done by a positive control freak. You know without a doubt that a control freak will get something done and usually in a quick way. Funky control freaks have learned to then teach others who work for them how to execute and to delegate to their team in an effective way.
Steve Jobs, Jack Welch and other well known successful CEO’s value execution or the art of getting things done more than anything.
3. It’s about choosing a path. If you won’t control the direction of your life and career, who will? Funky control freaks do not wait for others to guide them to their success. They step up and do what is needed to get recognized, earn praise, and earn the rewards. You won’t hear a funky control freak whine about not getting the corner office. Instead, they do what is needed to earn the right to get the corner office.
Oprah didn’t wait for a syndicated TV show. All of her efforts and her choices were carefully chosen to produce an end result of huge success.
4. It’s about focus. If you had a choice between someone who is indecisive, unclear and directionless, or someone who had a laser focus on what they wanted, had clarity around what had to be done and provided the team with specific actionable ideas who would you rather work for or with?
Whether you love or hate Hilary Clinton, you must agree that she is clear on winning the race. She is decisive and her whole team knows exactly where they are going.
5. It’s about handling uncertainty. In times of massive change, corporate restructuring, economic uncertainty, and massive mergers, we all want someone to tell us where we are going, guide us on how to get there, and clarify who needs to do what in order to achieve the end goal. Positive control freaks are needed to guide us through these times of change.
Globally we see this with our country’s leadership; we want to know that the person in charge of our nation is guiding us through turbulent times.
So if someone calls you a control freak, don’t freak out. Instead, make sure you are being a funky control freak and then stand proud!
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I agree with this article, but sometimes it's good to go with the flow too! Balance is key :)
Great article until I got to the part of Jack Welch being an excellent CEO. He certainly executed my career at GE and I still hate him with the burning intensity of 10,000 supernovas.
You need to make sure you're a funky control freak and not just a freak in control.
Cheryl -
Any personality trait can be made into a strength as long as it's not taken to the extreme. Anyone should realize that YOU are in charge of your life, career, happiness, etc but when your ideals get pushed on others and control becomes an obsession that's when a smart person realizes they've crossed the line. The ones who need a clue don't realize such a line exists and will work to control everyone and everything they come in contact with.
Control is a good thing. Discretion and self awareness are just as important.
When you're a control freak and you act like it, you can really have a positive effect on others. It's much more fun to work for someone who has a plan and is confident about where they're going and what they're doing.
This post misses the point by a country mile.
No sane person is suggesting that a total lack of control, drive or activity is a good thing. Someone with appropriate levels of these qualities isn't a contol freak.
A control freak is someone who can't see beyond their controlling tendencies, who has no other resources or strategies at their disposal and hence fails to respond effectively to many situations. This is always a bad thing.
What I think the author is trying to speak against is false accusations of control freakery against those who have motivation and attention to detail - fair enough but (at the risk of facing some of those accusations myself) - please try and be a little more precise in future, aye?
[...] being a control freak isn’t so bad. Just don’t comment on this post without giving me your full name and phone number. That way, I [...]
I've worked for two bosses I'd consider control freaks. In both cases their apparent nit-picking would rankle my easy-going nature and love of self-management.
With one very intelligent controlling boss, he would keep changing his mind about the direction of something he'd delegated, wanting to see many different drafts as he changed his mind. With this supervisor, I learned a lot by staying with him in his thought processes and remembering that I was paid to work for him, and developed a great deal of respect for his attention to detail.
My second Control Freak boss hired me as a Director of Communication, yet he liked to scrutinize every email I sent for the first three months of my employment. Eventually as I gained his trust, the micromanagement went away, and with time he has learned that unfettering his staff and allowing a freer rein can lead to stellar results.
Bottom line: Most Control Freaks learn to trust and loosen up when their "guidance" is met with patience, communication, and a learning attitude focused on excellence. The gravy is a shared appreciation to detail that most Control Freaks excel at.
I agree. Control freaks are the ones who aren't satisfied with mediocrity. I want them working for me. They know their business and can get me the info I need almost instantly.
However, it's tough to be a peer of a control freak or, worse yet, work for one. If you work for one you have to figure out what their hot buttons are and make sure you've got them covered for the sake of your career.
[...] being a control freak isn’t so bad. Just don’t comment on this post without giving me your full name and phone number. That way, I [...]
As a "control freak", watch for obstacles that may seem confusing to you ...
I was doing a radio show for a company where my show was not the priority of the Promotions department for obtaining prizes. I did not wait for the Promotions department, and obtained my own prizes...and was then told that I had to go through that department (who didn't get things done for me in the first place).
Six months later the format of the radio station was changed, so maybe the bottom line is the company didn't want me to be successful.
Cheryl,
Amen! I love the way that you brought out the positive aspects of being a control freak. Too often the term is used in a pejorative way.
My Freak Factor blog is dedicated to helping freaks of all kinds discover that their apparent weaknesses are actually the source of their greatest strengths.
Thank you for providing some excellent material. I'm sorry it took me four months to find it.
I already subscribe to Penelope's blog. Now I need to add this one as well.
Dave
[...] Calm your inner control freak. Against Cheryl Cran’s advice, being a control freak is not always good. Cran mentions that in times of a business [...]
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