Dear Bob ... I really enjoyed the Hierarchy of power article. It was very timely for me as I have been trying hard to find positive ways to stand my ground for positive, firm, and persuasive management as opposed to a world of command and control. My primary job (provides me health insurance) as a financial manager has been difficult, as my senior exec has an undergrad in psychology that he prides himself o Dear Bob …I really enjoyed the Hierarchy of power article. It was very timely for me as I have been trying hard to find positive ways to stand my ground for positive, firm, and persuasive management as opposed to a world of command and control.My primary job (provides me health insurance) as a financial manager has been difficult, as my senior exec has an undergrad in psychology that he prides himself on. But it is flawed thinking. It was in a field called “direct assertiveness” behavioral modification. After college he worked as a juvenile probation officer and then as a middle manager. The problem is he tries to deal with 50 year old accountants like he once did with troubled teens.– Standing, but on shifting groundDear Standing … With the right attitude you could have fun with this. In my experience, those who think they’re really good at manipulating others are the easiest to manipulate.So stop thinking of him as a pain in the posterior and start thinking of this as a game.Just for fun, in fact, try this: The next time you have a conversation with him, smile warmly and positively when he tilts his head to the right. Be a bit more formal and less positive when his head is vertical or tilted to the left. There’s a decent chance you can behavior-mod him to keep his head tilted to the right whenever he talks with you. Don’t be too obvious about it, though. He might recognize the technique.– Bob ——– Technology Industry