1. Don’t hire them in the first place.

Ask questions in the job interview like, What are some examples of where you used initiative on the job.? Can you tell us about a problem you solved at work without management’s involvement? Define the word assertiveness and tell us how it applies to your life.

2. Ask for input into decision making.

Framers of the DSM-IV contemplated adding another Axis II personality disorder, The Self-Defeating Personality Disorder. They believed negative self-talk was as pervasive as any other disorder.

Everyone suffers to some extent from paralysis of the inner critic. Someone said, the only people who aren’t insecure are actors and criminals.

Perfectionism is a mental disorder.  Too strong?  How about an affliction. Actually it is an anxiety disorder commonly called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. People think of OCD as repeating things over and over, such as washing hands, cleaning, checking things. Perfectionism is the repetitive pattern of always trying to get things exactly right – no flaws, no mistakes.

The folly in perfectionism is