Dear Dave: The stress in my company is so bad, the employees are unhappy and we lose good people all the time. I am almost afraid to attend meetings or open my e-mail because all I ever hear is somebody telling us how poorly we are doing our jobs and threatening us we will be terminated if things don't change. I am feeling physically ill, my attitude is bad and I hate to go to work. The job market is bad, so how can I cope and manage my health and attitude?

Your company has obviously adopted a management structure that is all too common in so many American organizations that believe constant pressure, micro-managing and inducing fear is the best way to get things done. Unfortunately, there are many managers that know employees don't have much job mobility these days, so they take advantage of the situation and mismanage and over-manage their employees.

I wish I had a button to push that would remove these managers from their positions and reassign them to picking up litter on Bolivian highways, but we must learn to deal with them and not let them destroy our health and happiness.

First, let's look at why people manage that way. Management writer Paul Glen believes there are two primary reasons managers are inept:

1. Defective people get promoted into management, and they are unable to adapt to the demands of the new job. They may have been given the position based on relationships rather than competence.

2. The position of management, by its nature, corrupts the competence of those who hold the job -- people enter management in a generally capable state, but eventually they succumb to the temptations of money, power, ambition and hubris.

Often, the manager has poor self-esteem, no leadership skills and the inability to trust others. This compels them to ride people like rented mules, simply because they just cannot delegate responsibility and trust that others will do their jobs without constantly applying threats or coercion on these poor souls.

People come to organizations totally willing to grow, produce and help the organization succeed, and they are often demotivated by their managers. Finally, they just give up, shut up and defend themselves as much as possible.

What you can do:

1. Quit and find a company that manages employees well.

2. Learn to cope, swallow your pride, just do your job and collect your paycheck.

3. Stay positive and constructive while helping others control their fears and emotions.

If you do stay positive and try your best to be productive despite the management blunders, this will help you feel better about yourself. Your attitude will help you maintain your own self-esteem and pride. You will feel stronger by trying your best to be stronger. This positive attitude also can become a contagious and inspiring form of leadership that helps other employees be stronger.

Plan B would be to vocalize your concerns to management. This is a courageous and often deadly path to travel, but if you sense you can make a difference and feel you must be heard, then prepare a convincing and diplomatic message to present to management. This Plan B is fondly named "I am mad as (expletive), and I cannot take it anymore." There is a chance managers may see the wisdom of your message; however, there is a chance they will show you the door. Choose carefully.

Dear Dave: What happens when management does not tell the "whole truth" to employees, customers and suppliers, instead distorting facts and figures to gain an advantage? Does this send a signal to employees it is all right to be dishonest for the sake of making a profit?

Managers, as leaders, set the tone and example whether they know it or not, and employees are watching them to determine what is acceptable behavior and what is not. If management models dishonest practices, some employees will naturally follow the lead. It may start out as little lies or half-truths and escalate into a corporate condition where nothing can be believed. Managers must set the example and create a climate of truth and honesty. As brutal as honesty often can be, it would be worse to build hopes or make deals based on deception.

Contact Dave Conrad with questions or comments at dac05@charter.net. Conrad is a professor for the Augsburg College MBA program and directs the MBA program in Rochester.

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