In what ways were your parents cold?
At least compared to other parents, my mom was normal I guess, with the typical lovey dovey stuff (not something I respond very well toward or feel a need to have). My dad however was not emotional at all which for me was never really a problem however I really noticed this when it came to my sister, she was someone who was in need of support and a constant need to feel loved. My dad was never able to really provide that to her, or at least show that side of him.
Was there a lack of affection in general?
Not really my dad came from a dirt poor background and had a alcoholic father who left him at a very young age so I suspect he was just emotionally stunted in that respect. His way of show affection was setting me up for success even though it meant being stern or from the eyes of a child being "the bad guy".
Do you find yourself acting in ways similar to what you observed with your father?
To some degree, I admire the fact that he was willing to sacrifice the short term pain of not being liked for the long term benefit of setting his children up for success. In that sense I am willing to give harsh advice and when it comes to people I have a lot of influence over use that influence to make them do things that will benefit them in the long term while they might not see it themselves. Other than that I'm a controlling person which most people already know by now.
Are you often very rigid in your planning and control of your environment?
Not at all, especially after having worked in high pace environments. The value of a plan is not in the plan itself but the desired outcomes, planning is about finding a way to achieve those outcomes and allocating resources towards them. The quote "planning is invaluable plans are useless" is especially true for dynamic environments. However if someone is for no good reason (being lazy or not being analytical) deviating from a plan that achieves these outcomes in the best possible way I do tend to have a problem with that. I don't like to accommodate or promote personality traits I don't support of.