Control Theory Manager review, Part Three

The final section of Dr. Glasser's book, The Control Theory Manager, is called "Putting It Al Together."  In typical Dr. Glasser style, his writing voice and tone is very casual and conversational, yet filled with theory and also application.  Reading his work is usually very easy, as I'm sure that's his design - to make it accessible to all.  This book is no different, and this final section really does help to take the rationale from part one and the theory from part two and combine them together to form a type of road map to move from being a boss-manager to being a lead-manager.  Here is where I wish Dr. Glasser could have been a little more descriptive; perhaps pulled several different examples from various industries and settings.  In Glasser's The Quality School and The Quality School Teacher he manages to give out the type of specifics I desire.  I understand that with this book, the scope is so broad unlike the Quality School books, that it is nearly impossible to include enough examples from the various industries.  To compensate, Glasser has to keep his examples generic enough that any manager can relate to them.  He does this well enough.

The final three chapters are:

• Criticism
• Supervising Non coercively
  
• Solving Problems with Counseling

Chapter Nine: Criticism
Basically: avoid it!  Since Dr. Glasser wrote this book in 1992, he has further elaborated on the negative power of criticism to the point where he lists it at the top of The Seven Deadly Habits list (read the Prevention article too).  I've read so many of Dr. Glasser's books, but not until I read this did it truly hit its mark: criticism is a relationship-buster!  Period.  End of discussion.  There's no such thing as "constructive criticism" - I don't care what type of personality you have... do it and you will push others away from you.  Bottom line.  Instead of constructive (or destructive) criticism, choose to help the other person self-evaluate.  If they don't want to self-evaluate, then there's nothing you can do to get them to change anything.  OK, I got it Dr. Glasser.  Thanks!

The next two chapters are appropriately titled, so I suggest you spend the time to read them.  If you plan to help your organization move from the boss-manger culture to the lead-management culture, then this book is truly a must read!  More so than anything you can read from Deming or any derivative of his work.  Sure those others will have all sorts of excellent advice and theories and strategies and data and metrics... etc.  BUT what they don't have, what NONE of the "Quality" movement leaders, none of the "Lean" management gurus have is the one thing that Dr. Glasser's work specializes in: explaining the theory of human behavior which underlies each of these management approaches.  Study Glasser's work, and the key to unlocking the mysteries of implementing organizational culture change becomes evident.

This book is short read.  But spend time reflecting on its message, or you may miss the purpose of it.  To change cultures from low quality to high; to solve many of the big challenges facing all organizations both large and small, you must change people.  Knowing Glasser's work helps to make that change possible, because you realize you can't change people!  You can only change the system (Deming said that); and you can only change yourself (Glasser said that)!  So change yourself to change the system to change the people to change the culture.

Start with this book.