No doubt our family history influences our behavior in the workplace family! My quarrel with Dr. Lafair is not that such dynamics exist; I object to her suggestion that it is to your benefit to recognize and resolve these character flaws. In my experience, it is exactly these destructive psychological imbalances that are essential for success in business today.
For example, consider three of the 13 "common behavior patterns" that Lafair describes as personality types that can impact workplaces negatively:
The Pleaser "cannot handle truth," says Lafair, choosing instead to "say 'yes' to everything, and rarely offering an opinion." The genesis of the "chameleon-like stance" of the pleaser can easily been seen in the efforts of a needy child to please his parents. Sad, perhaps, even tragic, but hardly a drawback for workplace success. No one rises higher, or faster, up the org chart than the mindless sycophants who do nothing but agree with their bosses. Look around you. Truth is a very nice commodity, but wouldn't you rather have a corner office and a leased Jaguar?
The Persecutor is "a bully who loves to control; sees others as weak and sentimental; needs to feel important; gives and withholds information as a means of exercising power." In other words -- a highly effective and well-compensated manager. Sure, you could cure this individual, turning a persecutor into a pussycat, but then the entire organization could crumble. Persecutors can "cause depression, sleep disorders, ulcers, high-blood pressure, lowered self-confidence and a sense of inadequacy and isolation." LaFair thinks this is a negative. To most of our managers, it's a job well done.
Finally, there is The Clown, time-wasting "bozos, jokers, smart-asses and motor mouths" who "know every detail about trivial issues and give their own 2 cents just to get a rise out of their colleagues." You might reject Lafair's description of these "pubescent employees who are not high-potential candidates."
Personally, I'm impressed she knows you so well.
