Arrogance is a personal quality manifested in a person's indifference to the opinions and feelings of others, a tendency to put himself above everyone else and their needs. An important point in the definition of arrogance is the demonstration of one's contemptuous attitude, position, without respect for others, which is manifested both at the verbal level (by ridicule and humiliating remarks) and at the non-verbal level (by facial expression or ignoring).

Psychology considers the personality quality of arrogance as a category that is formed in the process of development, under the influence of educational and social factors, but sometimes it is also caused by the characteristics of psychological development and psychological trauma. It reflects the arrogance of the processes taking place in the ego, and is formed on the basis of self-esteem, the perception of one's personal qualities, but, unfortunately, not in an objective perspective.

What it is

The arrogance of people appears as a result of a distorted perception of one's own personality, when the slightest merit or achievement is perceived as super-important or relevant. The prism of perception of one's own contribution is so broken that a person describes the performance of everyday tasks and even tasks of an average level of complexity as an achievement, which the whole world around should appreciate.

Inadequacy of self-esteem and assessment of the level of others leads to the fact that an arrogant person considers himself much more successful, worthy, smart and beautiful than in reality. In comparison with others, arrogance gives rise to the attitude that everyone is unworthy and flawed, even if objective indicators say otherwise. Before the eyes of a person there is a kind of veil that does not allow to adequately respond to what is happening, which actualizes other negative manifestations of the personality, such as a tendency to rudeness, arrogance and vanity, and with a more subtle mental organization - to resentment, the desire to manipulate.

Despite the fact that the main characteristics of arrogance are a violation of self-esteem and the behavioral aspect of responding to social incidents, the cause of the arrogant view of the world is education. Parental encouragement, of course, should be present in any upbringing, since they form confidence and the ability to cope with further life difficulties, but with excessive praise, a backlash is formed.

The child who is often praised, and using the wording where he is called the best or compared with others, then confidence in his own personal exclusivity is formed, especially when parents try to cheer up the crumbs with praise or replace it with some other communication functions. The further the favorable remarks of the elders from reality, the less adequate it will be, so from childhood a person learns to perceive others as initially unworthy or lower level. To avoid such a development, it is necessary to praise or scold the child only for the committed actions, clearly highlighting his actions, while not evaluating the personality in any way.

This quality is favorable only for a person’s own erroneous perception, for others it is mostly a negative experience. Arrogance also has a negative effect on the level of general development of a person, his personality and cognitive sphere. Motivation almost completely disappears, because there is no point in achieving something, considering yourself the most successful anyway. The longer a person lives in a state of arrogance, the more likely the onset of an early emotional shock, since reality always restores the natural course of things. At such moments, people are faced with their own impotence, insignificance, underdevelopment and other characteristics of underdevelopment and erroneous self-image. We have to reorganize our interaction model and seek help from those who were considered unworthy even of greetings. A person can change the situation in time if he is guided by the signs of arrogance.

Signs of arrogance

The manifestation of arrogance lies in the inability of a person to notice the talents, achievements and worthy qualities of other people. The ability to notice the actions committed for him by those around him, help, favorable reviews or forgiveness of mistakes also suffers.

An increase in resentment is also possible, which is due to the fact that people around them begin to make comments about arrogance or inadequacy of the assessment. The more the level of arrogance grows, the more often it begins to seem to a person that society underestimates him - this gives rise not only to resentment with withdrawal into oneself and isolation, but also provokes multiple conflicts. The inability to withstand criticism and responsibility are the main features of arrogant personalities. Others are to blame for all the problems, explanations are always found to justify their own oversights.

Arrogant people avoid questions, believing that this is a sign of ignorance and a demonstration of their need for someone else's help. The need to leave a reputation for infallibility remains so strong that a person chooses to remain without the necessary information, even if this causes tangible harm. It comes to ridiculous options when there is no internal opportunity to ask for directions in an unfamiliar place or ask a waiter to tell you about the features of a dish in a new restaurant. The motivation is the only one - so that even strangers do not suspect incompetence in a situation where the phenomenon of lack of orientation in an unknown area is normal.

Along with the fear of showing one's ignorance, there is an inability to admit mistakes, to accept someone else's point of view. Sometimes stubbornness in defending one's opinion turns into disastrous consequences if a person occupies a leadership position or his activity is related to working with people. Stubbornness and self-righteousness do not allow uttering words of apology. Even if a person agrees under serious pressure with someone else's position, he will outwardly demonstrate discontent and remain silent in recognizing his mistakes.

Increased egoism and love for attention are manifested in activation at general meetings and conferences, or even among friends. Such a person strives to ensure that only he speaks, not taking into account the level of interest of others in his speeches and with hypertrophied resentment to interruptions or remarks. The person himself is not able to listen to the speaker, all the information seems to him insignificant, stupid or not worth attention, therefore interruptions and simple inability to immerse themselves in the interlocutor's story are frequent.

Communication with people who are clearly not of their own circle causes excessive irritability, shown in all available ways. There is no tolerance, as well as the opinion that any person is a unique person. Even direct insults, cruel jokes and bullying are possible here.

A sense of superiority provokes such manifestations of pride as the absence of elementary signs of politeness and upbringing, for example, to say hello to a person when they meet first or to shake hands. There is an inner feeling that one's own personality is so significant and exceptional that everyone else should notice it and say hello first, otherwise increased self-importance is created by ignoring others.

The problem of arrogance

The problem of arrogance acutely concerns not only the person himself, but is general social, because communication in this way does not bring benefits, pleasure, development, but, on the contrary, only worsens the psychological self-awareness of the nearest society. Not only friends quickly turn away from such personalities, but also superficial acquaintances begin to pretend that they are seeing him for the first time. Professional understanding, support and comradely atmosphere also cannot be in the presence of a person who is condescending, and sometimes derogatory towards others. Personal life may resemble walking through a "minefield" or be completely absent.

Arrogance prevents normal equal communication, and until a person with inadequate self-esteem realizes his mistakes, only victimized individuals will be in his inner circle. The tendency to sacrifice, low self-esteem make people look for confirmation of their inferiority outside, and then the one who imagines himself a deity fully realizes their picture of the world. At the same time, this union cannot be called either harmonious or productive, but only strengthens the destructive features of each.

The intrapersonal problem of arrogance is that a person is still trying to deceive himself in his exclusivity. In fact, the subconscious mechanisms for evaluating reality work quite well, and the inner voice always reminds a person of his shortcomings. The more often and stronger such reminders are, the more intensely a person endures his contempt for others, since this is the only way to change reality available to him. While a harmonious person will notice his shortcomings and look for ways to overcome them, develop new qualities, an arrogant person will look for flaws in others or deliberately discredit someone's reputation by illusoryly rising.

In a situation where life confronts an arrogant person with reality, his real helplessness, he is very frustrated, at such moments it is possible to fall to the other extreme. A person sharply realizes that all his achievements and good qualities were only the fruit of his imagination and begins to belittle himself, again not seeing reality. If the situation does not unfold in such a way as to show him the real state of affairs, then the risk of overestimating his moral, physical and other capabilities increases. This is followed by failed projects, broken relationships, general exhaustion of the body, an intrapersonal crisis.

Examples from literature and life

The theme of arrogance is often present in life, so it has inevitably become a subject for literature and cinema. There is an arrogance based on social division, and it is manifested by appropriate examples. For example, at a meeting, a man may volunteer for a complex and paid project, motivating that he will do better than the women present, who are dumber in advance. Class arrogance is manifested in the reluctance to visit any institutions. For example, a person who considers himself to be an elite may be squeamish about loft coffee houses, preferring restaurants, and a poor artist may avoid expensive and pretentious clubs, arguing this with the unworthiness and low spiritual development of the habitues of these places.

An arrogant attitude is found in a teacher in relation to students, when instead of listening to the point of view of the younger, understanding the problem and the difference in views, the teacher chooses to push his position with authority.
The heads of large organizations, especially those recently appointed, have an arrogance directed at everyone. Employees who have done their job perfectly for decades become incompetent, and relatives and children suddenly have to obey any will.

Arrogance can also occur where there seems to be no reason for it. The hairdresser will look accusingly at a client who does not understand the principles of a haircut, despite the fact that she is successful in other areas. A seller in the market can criticize the taste of an aristocratic lady, and set himself as an example, without taking into account her opinion and need for advice. The narrower the outlook of a person, the lower the level of his general awareness, the more likely it is to develop an arrogant attitude and positioning his path as exclusively true.

Such social problems are widely considered in classical literature, especially in Chekhov and Dostoyevsky. The reactions of the characters are not always described by arrogance, but there may be descriptions of a haughty look, impatience in disputes, stubbornness in one's position, lack of sensitivity to someone else's opinion, position, condition.

The art of making things happen

Scientific editor of the Russian edition Valery Nikishkin, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Marketing of the Russian Academy of Economics named after G. V. Plekhanova

The publishing house would like to thank Yulia Kurylenko, Anastasia Kazakova, and Roman Malakhovskiy for their help in scientific editing of the book.

© Jo Owen 2006, 2009

© Studio Art. Lebedeva, cover design, 2010

* * *

“Once Napoleon said: “To manage is to foresee,” and Joe Owen argues that to manage is to bring the matter to a successful conclusion. The main thing is achievements, not activity. This management ideology raises many questions. What results do I want to achieve? What results do my partners and clients expect? What should be done for this? How to motivate yourself and others to move towards the intended result together? With whom to achieve results, and whom to refuse along the way? Who is needed today? Who will be needed tomorrow? And many, many others. But the author does not leave any of these questions unanswered, or at least advice on how to get it. The level of competence of the manager Owen determines his ability to achieve results.

Read this book, try applying Owen's principles to managing your business, and you'll see that just focusing on the bottom line will get you where you want to go."

Vadim Marshev

Honored Professor of Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov, Doctor of Economics

Introduction
Real managers in real conditions

Once upon a time, management was much simpler: managers led, and workers worked. Managers sold their brains and employees sold their hands. Thoughts and deeds were divided. These were good times for managers, but bad times for employees.

But over time, the managers began to have problems. Workers began to expand their rights, and managers began to lose their privileges; workers now worked less and managers had to stay late. The reduction in working hours, which gave employees all the benefits, turned out to be constant stress for managers chained to a computer, documents and telephone. Management has become not only much harder, but also more incomprehensible. Consider, for example, what is the secret to the success and survival of your organization. It is unlikely that you will be able to find any formal criterion for her well-being.

What risks must I take to survive, and what risks must I take to succeed?

What projects are worth working on and with whom?

When is it better to defend your point of view, and when to give in?

How does everything really happen here?

What traps should be avoided?

No company policy manual or training program provides answers to these questions. You are left to your own devices when it comes to the main, and the manual indicates only the secondary.

The rules of survival and success are dictated by practice: we compare people who have achieved success and survived with those who have encountered difficulties, and then we analyze why they succeeded or failed.

Take a look at the successful people in your organization. I hope those of them who can boast of some achievements were among the winners. But in organizations with a horizontal structure, it is quite difficult to know who is responsible for what.

Most rating systems rely on two characteristics that are called quite differently.

The traditional assumption was that managers (who had brains) were smarter than workers (who had hands). A high IQ, or intelligence quotient, helped. Many grading systems are still IQ-centric: many business schools still accept students on IQ test scores in the form of the GMAT (general managerial ability test). It is believed that a high IQ is a sign of problem solving, analytical skills, business thinking and knowledge.

Even if you are seven spans in the forehead, this is still not enough to control people. Management is the ability to perform tasks, that is, to do business. Many smart people with high IQs are too smart to do anything. Most companies require managers to have good interpersonal skills, or good EQ - emotional quotient. This implies the ability to work in a team, adapt, interact effectively with others, as well as having charisma and the ability to motivate employees, etc.

Now look at all your managers and try to use IQ and EQ to check which of them in your organization have succeeded and who have not. Managers with high IQ and EQ should not be so few: smart (IQ) and pleasant (EQ) managers exist, despite the formed media stereotypes. But you will also find a lot of smart and nice people who are content with mediocre results somewhere in the “backyard” of the company: everyone likes them, but they don’t move anywhere from their “swamp”. However, there are many successful managers, perhaps not so smart and pleasant, who reach heights by using intellectual managers as a "doormat" on the way to the executive's office.

Something is missing here. High IQ and EQ is a huge plus, but it's not enough. Managers have yet another hurdle to overcome. Their lives have become much more difficult, not easier.

A new obstacle concerns political experience, or PQ, the political quotient, which, among other things, implies the ability to achieve power. Moreover, we are talking about the ability to use power to achieve goals. Thus, PQ is the main aspect of management, which is to complete tasks with the help of people.

Of course, managers have always needed a certain level of PQ. But in the command and control hierarchy of the past, a high PQ was not required to complete tasks, an order was enough. In today's world of horizontal, matrix organizations, power is a vague and indefinite concept. Managers will achieve nothing without the support of allies, without going beyond official responsibility. Many of the resources they will need are simply not in their organization. Therefore, managers today more than ever need a high PQ to achieve their goals.

Successful managers have three qualities - IQ, EQ and PQ. Each of them involves the presence of skills that can be mastered. To become a good manager, you will need not special scientific knowledge (many scientific institutions are full of smart people and bad management), but EQ and PQ skills that anyone can master.

This book is about how to develop the abilities that underlie IQ, EQ, and PQ to help you survive and succeed in transformation. By abstracting away the day-to-day difficulties of management and the blabbering of management theory, you will be able to focus on the critical abilities that a manager needs. The book talks about what you need to do and how to do it in a world that is tougher and more complex than ever.

The first step in understanding this revolution is understanding its causes and ultimate goal.

IQ: rational management

Management has been around for as long as our civilization, even if no one realized it before. As an independent discipline, management was born during the Industrial Revolution: large-scale activities required large-scale organization. At first, management was based on military strategy and tactics: the classic command-and-control style.

Gradually, industrial management dissociated itself from the military. Like Newton discovering the laws of physics, managers were looking for the mysterious formula for success in business and management. Scientists are still looking for this formula, although successful entrepreneurs do without theory. Scientific management was the first attempt to look at success under the microscope.

The leading figure in scientific management was Frederick Taylor, whose "Principles of Scientific Management" (The Principles of Scientific Management) were published in 1911. His approach is illustrated by the following quote:

“One of the basic requirements for a person who is suitable for working with blast-furnace pig iron is to be so stupid and phlegmatic that his mental abilities are more like a bull than anything else. That is why an intelligent person with a lively mind is completely unsuited for such monotonous work.

Taylor had a dislike for workers in general, believing that they would perform poorly if they were not punished. But his book was based not only on personal opinion, but also on direct observations. This led him to some ideas that were considered revolutionary at the time.

Employees need to be allowed to rest in order to be more productive.

People with different qualities should be given appropriate jobs, because in the right position they will work better.

A machine line that breaks down complex work (like assembling a car or fast food) into parts increases productivity and reduces labor costs for workers who require minimal ability.

These principles continue to this day.

The world of scientific, or rational, management was created by Henry Ford, who proposed the assembly line for assembling machines. Between 1908 and 1913, he refined the concept and began production of the Model T, which he called with great aplomb "the car for the masses." By 1927, an estimated 15 million Model Ts rolled off the assembly line, sweeping away the cottage industry that built cars at a very high price.

Rational management is alive today, in the 21st century, it still exists on automobile assembly lines and telephone exchanges, in fast food restaurants where unlucky operators work like machines. However, many companies have already taken the next, quite logical step, completely removing people and forcing their customers to communicate with computers.

EQ: emotional management

The world of rational, scientific management was comparatively simple: it relied on observation and cold calculation.

And then things got complicated.

At some point, someone discovered that workers are not just production or even consumer units. They have hopes, fears, feelings, and sometimes even thoughts. They are, in fact, people. It messed up the management cards. They had to not only solve production problems, but also manage people.

Over time, managing people has become more difficult. The workers, already more educated and professional than before, now had more to give, but they also expected more. They became richer and more independent. The days of single-industry towns, where everyone worked at the same enterprise, were numbered: there were new job opportunities and higher benefits for those who could not or did not want to find a job. Employers have lost their power of coercion. They could no longer demand loyalty—they had to earn it. Gradually there was a transition from a culture of submission to a culture of interest.

Managers had to create conditions for high performance and engagement of people, using their hopes, not fears. 44 years after the publication of Frederick Taylor's book, Daniel Goleman published his book "Emotional Intelligence: Why it is more important than IQ" ( Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ, 1995), fathering the new world of emotional management. In fact, he popularized principles that have evolved over decades. As early as 1920, E. L. Thorndike of Columbia University wrote about "social intelligence." Experts have long understood that intelligence (high IQ) is not directly related to success in life: other aspects are also important. As part of professional activity, experiments with emotional intelligence (EQ, not IQ) have long been conducted. In particular, the Japanese have made great strides in effectively engaging employees, even on automotive production lines, with a new movement called kaizen (continuous improvement). Ironically, they were inspired by the American W. Edwards Deming. Deming's ideas were recognized in the United States only after the Japanese began to destroy the American automobile industry with their help.

By the end of the 20th century, the job of a manager had become much more difficult than at the end of the 19th century. Managers of the 20th century had to be as smart as their predecessors 100 years ago. They needed EQ to deal with people as much as IQ to solve production problems. Most managers have found that they are good at one thing: few have both high IQs and high EQs. The bar for effective management has been raised high.

PQ: political management

Two-dimensional managers do not exist, except in cartoons. Real people and real managers are three-dimensional. High IQs and EQs are a big plus, but not enough to explain the success or failure of different managers. What is missing? The first step in finding the missing element is to recognize that organizations are built for conflict. This is a revelation to some scientists who believe they are meant to be collaborators. In fact, managers have to fight for the time, money and budget of their organization, which are very limited. There are always more needs than resources. The internal conflict has to do with how the priorities are set - with marketing, production, service, personnel management and various products and regions that are fighting among themselves, trying to grab a bigger piece.

For many managers, the real competition is not in the marketplace. The real competition sits at the next table and fights for the same promotion and bonus as they do.

The second step is to identify who is winning and who is losing in this corporate duel for budget, time, salary and promotion. If the concept of high IQ and EQ is to be believed, then all smart and nice people should be successful. However, in reality this is far from the case. The smart and nice don't always win: many of them disappear from the corporate radar or live the quiet life of people who have not reached their potential. At the same time, most of us know such top managers who can hardly be called smart or pleasant, but in some mystical way they achieve power and recognition.

Obviously, there is something beyond IQ and EQ.

A short conversation at the cooler is usually enough to understand what is missing. They often talk about those who rise or fall on the career ladder, about who does what and for whom, about promising opportunities, about failed projects and the ability to avoid them. Such conversations show that people are not only social animals, but also political ones.

Politics is inevitable in any organization. And this is not new. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a play about politics. Machiavelli's The Prince is a guide to successful Renaissance political management. Politics has always existed, but it was considered too "dirty" for scientific analysis and corporate training. The assassination of Caesar shows what happens when you don't understand politics well. When someone mentions Brutus saying "I'm behind you" to Caesar, vigilant managers know they could be stabbed in the back.

In order to understand such a policy, IQ and EQ are not enough. There is a constant struggle for control and power. The endless need for change concerns not only people, but also the balance of power in the organization. This is a political activity for which a successful manager needs good political and organizational skills.

MQ: managerial development coefficient

It is time to recognize that real managers are "three-dimensional". In addition to IQ and EQ, they need a high PQ. If there is a formula for success in management, it might look like this:

where MQ is the management quotient.

To increase MQ, it is necessary to develop IQ, EQ and PQ. The formula for success is easy to formulate, but difficult to implement. MQ (fig. 1) is connected with practice, but not with the theory of management. This book shows how to use MQ to determine:

Level of own managerial potential;

The abilities of team members and the ability to help them improve;

The core skills needed for success and then developed; rules for survival and success in your organization.

Rice. one. MQ Components

There are many ways to apply the MQ formula and succeed or fail. Each person develops and applies IQ, EQ and PQ in their own way, depending on the situation. Each person has a unique management style, just like DNA. You won't find a way to produce manager clones in this book. You deserve more. We offer basic principles and tools to help you understand and solve common management problems.

Some people think of basic principles as a prison: they apply the same formula to every situation. Others use the principles as a foundation for building their own unique management style. Based on thousands of years of experience in practicing managers, this book helps to adapt tools and basic principles, talking not only about theory, but also about the real effectiveness or inefficiency (more importantly) of certain methods. We all learn from experience, both positive and negative. With the help of this book, you can develop your MQ to succeed—on your own terms.

Chapter 1
IQ abilities: problems, tasks and money

Being a smart manager does not mean being an intellectual. Brilliant scientists rarely make great managers. Conversely, many great entrepreneurs today don't spend money and time on an MBA with its conformist mindset: Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, and Steve Jobs, for example.

Asking the most successful managers what makes them the most successful is like practicing flattery and fawning. This only leads to banal answers and narcissism. I tried and realized that this is not worth doing. Most managers talk about "experience" and "intuition". And it's completely useless. Intuition cannot be learned. And experience is a way to keep assistant managers in assistant positions until they have enough gray hair to join the management club. I had to take a different route to find out how managers think. I decided to watch them work.

Watching people work is always much more enjoyable than doing it yourself.

Every person is unique and every day is unique.

Some prefer face-to-face communication rather than e-mail correspondence; some days are overloaded with important meetings, some people work more and some less. But if you remove all these differences, you can highlight something common in the day of managers:

Strong time fragmentation;

Simultaneous work on several tasks;

Management of different groups of people and competing projects;

A continuous flow of new information that requires feedback, changes, adaptation;

Lack of time to work alone.

There is an example familiar to most managers - trying to juggle balls and at the same time run a hundred meters without dropping a single ball. This is a world where it is easy to be busy, but very difficult to achieve something. Activity does not guarantee success. Managers today are challenged to achieve the most with the least effort. Let's take a short break and think about what is missing from the manager's usual daily routine:

Making decisions using formal methods such as Bayesian analysis and decision trees;

Solving problems after deep reflection alone or as a result of group work using formal problem solving methods;

Formal strategic business analysis.

Many MBA methods are noteworthy in that they are absent from the daily practice of most managers: organizational and strategic theory is gone; financial and accounting tools are related only to finance and accounting; marketing remains a completely mysterious area for employees of the production and IT departments.

The fact that most managers do not use these tools in their work does not diminish their importance. They can be used carefully, at the most critical moments. Most organizations would not survive long if all their managers were constantly engaged in strategic business research. But a good strategic analysis that a CEO does every five years can transform a company.

So, the search for principles of managerial thinking is stymied in the whirlwind of activity that fills their typical day. It seems that successful managers do not need to be great intellectuals and master the standard intellectual and analytical tools that are offered in the relevant literature and in special courses. But it takes a very brave person to accuse Bill Gates and Richard Branson of stupidity. All the leaders and managers we spoke to were smart enough to achieve power and influence. They are smart, but not in the traditional school sense. Managerial intelligence is different from scientific intelligence.

We decided to dig deeper, breaking the golden rule: "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." I hope we haven't dug ourselves a hole. We simply seek to "dig up" the basic principles of managerial thinking. And in the end, we found these fundamental principles, which will be discussed in this chapter, which any manager can master.

1. Start from the end: focus on the bottom line.

2. Get results: work and understanding.

3. Make decisions: quickly develop intuition.

4. Solve problems: methods, schemes and tools.

5. Strategic thinking: basics, features and classical approach.

6. Determine the budget: the policy of achieving the goal.

7. Manage the budget: the annual battle.

8. Manage costs: with minimal costs.

9. Spreadsheets and calculations: assumptions, not mathematics.

10. Know your data: number manipulation.

If we were precise and meticulous, not all of these skills would fit into a chapter on IQ management. But behind the seeming disorder lies a certain method. A focus on outcomes and results is included in this chapter because these principles are at the core of effective management. An effective manager is driven by a desire for results and goal achievement. This forms a certain style of thinking - very pragmatic, impetuous and completely different from those that are described in books and studied at institutes. The main thing is achievements, not activity.

Decision making, problem solving, and strategic thinking are classic IQ abilities. There is a huge difference between how textbooks tell managers to think and how they actually think. The textbooks are looking for the perfect answer. But the ideal solution is the enemy of the practical solution. The search for the ideal leads to inaction. Practical decisions lead to what good managers need: action. For many managers, the real problem is not finding the answer, but asking the question. In fact, successful managers spend much more time looking for a question than looking for a pragmatic answer.

Determining the budget, managing the budget and expenses, preparing settlement documents and knowing the numbers can be called FQ - financial quotient. We thought that finance and accounting were 100 percent IQ skills. And they were 100 percent wrong. In theory, financial management is an objective and intellectual activity, in which there are two types of answers - right and wrong: either everything converges or it does not converge. But for managers, the intellectual task is only a small part of the real task. The main task is not about intellectual ability: it is political. Most financial discussions and negotiations are political discussions about money, power, resources, obligations, and expectations. In many ways, financial management belongs to the chapter on PQ (political intelligence). Out of respect for the theory of finance, we included it in the chapter on IQ.

In the following sections, we will pay tribute to the theory. It is useful: a good theory provides a basis for structuring and understanding unstructured and complex issues. However, the main attention should be paid to the practical side of the development and application of IQ abilities.

Bayesian probability theory is one of the main theorems of elementary probability theory, which determines the probability that an event (hypothesis) has occurred, having only indirect evidence (data) that may be inaccurate.

"Most people don't see the trap they're in." This statement conveys the meaning of any psychological manipulation. How do you know if someone is trying to force their opinion on you? How to calculate the manipulator and resist him? The article contains 5 types of people most susceptible to manipulation.

From this article you will learn:

What psychological mechanisms make people manipulate or obey

The term " manipulation” in most cases has a negative connotation. It is understood as a method of psychological influence that changes the behavior and perception of other people. In doing so, the manipulator uses covert, deceptive, and sometimes violent tactics.

Everyone resorts to manipulation, one way or another. It is an integral part of everyday life, from which there is no escape. It is impossible to avoid such an impact, so it is better to learn to recognize it in time. Regarding the use manipulation, it is used only when a person represents its consequences and is responsible for them. Otherwise, such behavior in society is considered immoral.

What is it based onmanipulation classification

How does the psychology of manipulation and submission work?Manipulation of people in modern psychology defined as a type of psychological influence. Its purpose is to arouse in people intentions that do not correspond to their real desires.

Manipulation has a number of specific features:

• there is a psychological impact;
• the object of influence is perceived as a means of achieving their own goals;
• as a result, only the manipulator wins;
• the fact of impact and its direction are carefully concealed;
• manipulators play on weaknesses and use psychological strength;
• the object has a false motivation.

Most people do not think about the fact that they are “managed” on a daily basis: in the family, in personal discussions, in the work team. Psychologists believe that the desire to control others reflects the weakness of the individual and his self-doubt. Such a desire is compensation for one's own complexes. Interestingly, many people manipulate others without even realizing it. To avoid this - strive for objectivity in the perception of your own actions and actions.

5 types of people most prone to manipulation

Who is at risk of being manipulated? Study of psychology of manipulation and submission allowed psychologists to identify 5 types of people most susceptible to other people's influence:

1. People who rely on common sense and logic in their actions, striving for comfort and security. They are managed at the level of need.
2. Creative people living under stress. Dreamers are affected at the level of imagination and emotion.
3. Rational people with logical thinking. These are manipulated, hurting their self-esteem, as well as their conscience and moral principles.
4. Hedonists whose behavior is determined by instincts. For control use their craving for pleasure.
5. People who are not capable of an objective analysis of what is happening and critical thinking. They are manipulated, intimidated and hurt.

What methods of influence are used by manipulators

There are certain types of manipulation, that is, techniques and ways of influencing human consciousness. The classification of manipulations in modern psychology is based on the grouping of methods of influence according to different criteria.

Among the management methods are 4 main:

1. Conscious. A person understands the mechanism of influence and foresees the end result, which is his goal.
2. Unconscious. The manipulator vaguely represents the essence of influence and its ultimate goal.
3. Communication (linguistic). Influence on the interlocutor during the dialogue with the help of speech.
4. Behavioral. Managing the interlocutor during the dialogue with the help of actions, actions, situations.

There is specialized literature books on manipulating people. They distinguish several levels of psychological influence. They are determined by the most vulnerable points of the object of influence:

• emotions;
• habits and style of behavior, way of thinking;
• interests and needs;
• beliefs and worldview;
• professional skills.

Manipulation of subordinates

In most companies, the main manipulator is its leader. Unfortunately, many bosses confuse motivation and manipulation.

Evident type of manipulation- inconsistency of words and deeds. For example, management does not provide conditions for subordinates to perform complex work. In words, the director extols the employee, convincing him that he is the only hope for the company. Or, in words, a subordinate is accused of failing to fulfill his duties, but in reality he is assigned more and more tasks.

Advice from the editor: . It will teach you how to influence subordinates without violence and motivate without manipulation.

Leader manipulation

The most common manipulations are "Monkey on the neck" and "I want to consult with you." In the first case, the employee plays along with the leader's vanity and "hangs his monkey around his neck" - a difficult task. In the second case, the subordinate shifts responsibility to the leader both for making a decision and for its implementation. In case of failure, he can write it off as the wrong advice.

Manipulation of colleagues

Employees influence colleagues in many ways, sometimes without realizing what they are doing. manipulation of people. There are 3 main control methods:

• « Orphan Kazan". The employee keeps a distance from the management, in order to refer, on occasion, to the fact that, in fact, no one is in charge of him.
• « Busy employee". The employee agrees to all instructions, but does not give concrete results, referring to the unbearable workload.
• « little child". The employee pretends to be stupid in order to relieve himself of responsibility and transfer the task to his colleague.

How to resistmanipulationand block the pressure

There are effective methods to overcome and block pressure and manipulation.

To protect yourself from the most skillful manipulator, you need to clearly understand how the manipulation.

The mechanism of psychological impact

If the information that you receive from the outside is not filtered and immediately goes from the “focus of attention” to the instinctive solution of the problem, then you are trapped. In the diagram, the actions of the manipulator are indicated by yellow arrows. It works through emotions, shifting your attention from a critical analysis of a problem to its simple, habitual solution. The need for analysis is unsettling, and you instinctively choose seemingly reliable stereotyped actions.

1. Learn to recognize manipulation and notice the pressure on emotions.
2. Keep a distance from colleagues and management, do not show them all your weaknesses.
3. Listen to people and match words with actions.
4. Filter and verify questionable information.
5. Learn to say a firm "no".
6. Stand up for your position.
7. Think constructively, evaluate from the position of an unbiased critic.
8. Do not try to maintain an ideal relationship with everyone and seem better than you really are.

Manipulation of people and the neutralization of its consequences is a common phenomenon for society. Knowing the mechanisms of psychological influence, people easily achieve their goals. Well, if these goals are not related to damage to the object of influence. Otherwise, manipulation can and should be resisted. Each of us is entitled to our own opinion. That is why critical thinking and balanced decisions are the best defense against attempts to control your mind.

Many things are incomprehensible to us, not because our concepts are weak; but because these things do not enter the circle of our concepts.

Kozma Prutkov

Attempts to control a person, a group of people and other human communities often run into the resistance of the latter. In this case, two ways open before the initiator of the control action:

to attempt force perform the action imposed on them, that is, break the resistance (open control); disguise control action so that it does not cause objections (hidden control).

It is clear that it is impossible to apply the second method after the failure of the first - the intention is unraveled and the addressee is on the alert.

They resort to the second method when they foresee resistance and therefore immediately rely on the secrecy of the impact.

In fact, in every group of people there is a person who influences others, and often imperceptibly, and others unconsciously obey him.

Hidden control is carried out against the will of the addressee and allows for the latter's possible disagreement with what is proposed (otherwise, the initiator has no reason to hide his intentions).

Is it moral to secretly control another person against their will? It depends on the degree of morality of the goals of the initiator. If his goal is to gain personal gain at the expense of the victim, then it is certainly immoral. Hidden control of a person against his will, bringing unilateral advantages to the initiator, we call manipulation. The initiator controlling the action will be called manipulator and the addressee of the impact - a victim(manipulation).

Thus, manipulation is a type of hidden control, determined by selfish, unseemly goals. manipulator, causing damage (material or psychological) to its victim.

Hidden management can pursue quite noble goals. For example, when a parent, instead of orders, imperceptibly and painlessly controls the child, unobtrusively moving him to actions in the right direction. Or the same in the relationship between the leader and the subordinate. In both cases, the object of control retains its dignity and consciousness of its own freedom. Such covert control is not manipulation.

Similarly, if a woman, with the help of all sorts of female tricks, secretly controls a man so that he gets rid of bad habits (alcohol abuse, smoking, etc.), then such control can only be welcomed. In other cases, it is quite difficult to draw a line - it is manipulation or not. Then the term "hidden control" will have a broader meaning.

In the general case of hidden control, the initiator of the control action will be called managing entity or simply subject or sender impact. Accordingly, the addressee of the impact will be called managed object or simply object(impact).

PART I. Psychological foundations of covert control

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand in life, in ourselves, in the world around us.

Chapter 1. Exploitation of human needs

I cannot control the direction of the wind, but I can always set my sails in such a way as to achieve my goal.

O. Wilde

1.1. TYPES OF NEEDS

Four sources of manipulation

In us, in our misunderstanding of ourselves, lies the possibility of manipulating us.

We are governed by our needs.

Each of us has some weaknesses.

Each is characterized by addictions.

We are all used to following the rules rituals.

All this can be used (and is being used!) by manipulators.

Classification of needs

The following classification of human needs, proposed by A. Maslow, is generally recognized.

- Physiological needs (food, water, shelter, rest, health, desire to avoid pain, sex, etc.).

- The need for security, confidence in the future.

- The need to belong to some community (family, group of friends, like-minded people, etc.).

- The need for respect, recognition. The need for self-realization.

At the same time, psychologists have established that positive emotions are of great importance for a person's mental health (and hence physical health).

Satisfying each of the above needs brings positive emotions. However, there are things, circumstances that also give us similar emotions, but do not belong to any of the five types of needs. For example, good weather, a beautiful landscape, a funny scene, an interesting book or conversation, favorite activities, etc. Therefore, we consider it possible to supplement A. Maslow's classification with another, sixth type: the need for positive emotions.

1.2. PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

Food is pleasure. Taste pleasure. But every time you eat, the acid-base balance is disturbed and there is a danger of caries. Chewing gum "Dirol" with xylitol and urea protects your teeth from morning to evening!

A contagious example

In the American city of Cleveland, the director of the zoo was very upset by the behavior of a young gorilla - she stubbornly refused to eat. Therefore, he climbed into her cage every day, ate fruit, bread, roast until the inexperienced gorilla, imitating him, learned to eat on its own.

Then things went on their own - the physiological need for food plus the acquired skill did their job: the cub gained weight.(However, during the training, the director also gained 15 kg and now exhausts himself with diets to get rid of excess weight.)

How to beat your husband's laziness

An inhabitant of the cottage turns to a neighbor, a woman with a great figure, who went out into her garden: "Honey, could you put on your bikini swimsuit? It suits you so well!"

Having received consent, she enters her house and says to her husband: "Would you like to see what swimwear is now in fashion? Just like that on a neighbor. At the same time mow the lawn."

It is clear that the wife is using the erotic stimulus to get her husband to work. In addition, a husband inflamed by the sight of seductive female forms (the wife knows this from experience) in the evening in bed will not be as lazy as usual.

With this manipulation, the wife achieves two goals at once.

Naked truth

The following historical episode also testifies to the effectiveness of manipulations using sexual-erotic needs.

As simple as, for example, buying sugar in the nearest supermarket. But such a skill at its price is much more expensive than anything in the world.

If you are determined to learn how to manage human psychology, Rockefeller's words should be imprinted in your memory for the rest of your life. After all, each of us knows that personal growth is possible only in close contact with society. Human psychology is such a thing that is laid in every individual from the earliest years.

Learning to manage other people

In order to have power over a person and understand his psychology, it is not enough to know only his character and how he behaves. The first thing to do is to learn how to use the knowledge gained and apply it to a specific person based on the characteristics of the person and his character.

In this article we will talk about how to manage human psychology and how to correctly apply the knowledge gained in practice.

Study the features of the psyche

In order for a person to go beyond his consciousness, psychologists around the world use people. Most of the time it's hypnosis. This method has a direct effect on the psyche. After a person enters a narrowed state of consciousness, it is quite easy to suggest something to him, and you can also control his thoughts and behavior.

Of course, the pursuit of selfish goals through hypnosis is also punishable by law. It is for this reason that professional psychologists use hypnosis only when absolutely necessary. For example, if a person is very worried about something, using this method, the psychologist will be able to "pull" the problem from the depths of consciousness.

A person is primarily based on the knowledge of this very psychology, as well as on the personal characteristics of the individual. This knowledge will help one person to change the behavior of another for their own benefit. In order to find out the personal qualities of the person you are interested in, watch his every action and listen to everything he says. After you understand that you have studied it well enough, use the methods of managing people suggested in this article.

Method one: demand more

This method implies that you have to ask a person for much more than you really need. Well, or, for example, ask him to do something unusual for you. Of course, he is unlikely to agree. After a short amount of time, you can turn to him with a request to do for you what you really need. in this case, it is such that he simply cannot refuse you. The thing is that he will be ashamed to refuse a second time, and the second request will seem much easier to him compared to the first.

Method two: address the interlocutor exclusively by name

This advice is given by a world-famous psychologist. In his opinion, addressing a person by name, you thereby confirm his significance. It is the name for the perception of a person that is pleasant. After all, if a person has it, it means that he exists or once existed.

Naturally, if you confirm the importance of the interlocutor, in return you will receive location and respect. Here it is worth saying that this rule must be applied to ranks, ranks, titles and social roles. For example, if you call the same person long enough your best friend, sooner or later he will subconsciously begin to believe that there is a friendship between you.

Method three: flattery

As we have already said, managing a person's psychology is a rather difficult thing, even if at first glance it seems that it is quite easy to win over an interlocutor. This also applies to this method. Sometimes it seems to us that in order to win over a person, you just need to say compliments and all sorts of pleasant words to him. The most important thing here is not to overdo it. After all, if a person understands that you are talking to him through false compliments, a storm of indignation will arise in his soul. And then there can be no talk of any sympathy and disposition. The main thing is to understand that this method can not be applied to everyone and not in every situation.

Managing a person in this way is that you, as it were, confirm all the hidden thoughts and feelings of your interlocutor.

Method four: reflection

The whole point of it is to imitate the person you are interested in at some point. After all, each individual is inclined to friendship with those who are more or less similar to him. The most interesting thing is that after such a reception, the “experimental” will communicate for some time on a positive note with other people who did not take part in your conversation. Here, the psychology of management is based on the same principles as in the case of addressing by name.

Method five: use the fatigue of the interlocutor

Of course, if you ask a person for something at a time when he is tired and wants to rest, then he is unlikely to agree to your request. In this case, you definitely need to emphasize its full significance. Believe me, the next day your opponent will definitely do what you asked him yesterday. The thing is that when we deny something to someone, we feel discomfort.

Method six: a simple request

In order to understand how to manage the psychology of a person, first of all, as we have already said, it is necessary to learn as much as possible about him. Approach the person you are interested in and ask for something very simple. After a short period of time, ask the same person for something more difficult. This method involves the gradual addiction of a person to increasing complexity.

Most importantly, don't ask for everything at once. A lot of time must pass between your requests, otherwise you will simply be considered an insolent person.

Method Seven: Listen More, Talk Less

Even if at some point in the conversation you begin to understand that you completely disagree with the opinion of your interlocutor, you should not immediately pounce on him with your arguments and thoughts. Learn to listen first. After he finishes his speech, tell him that you really appreciate his position, but you have your own personal opinion on this matter. After that, your interlocutor will understand that he means something to you, and will try to listen to you, even if he does not adhere to your point of view.

Method eight: rephrase the words

Through this technique, you can easily and simply establish contact with almost any person. This method implies that during the conversation you from time to time must pronounce the phrases of your interlocutor, only in other words. This approach will help a person understand himself, as well as make sure that you are a true friend and sympathetic comrade.

In conclusion, let's say that strong-willed and charismatic personalities know best about how to manage a person's psychology. It is they who manage to win over the interlocutor to themselves and make sure that he fulfills their request. Such people, for the most part, do not know failure.

Workout

Now you have an idea about managing a person and his actions. In this case, the whole secret lies in the psyche of the individual. Separately, it should be said that to train your skills, you can use the online games "People Management" as a practice. And as you understand, in order to win over a person, it is not at all necessary to use such a complex method as hypnosis. Moreover, through the use of these techniques for managing people, you can completely eliminate the feeling of discomfort and "usedness" that are necessarily present after hypnosis.

Most importantly, you will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in order to build friendly and good relationships with the people around you!