Micromanagement is not the answer
November 2002
Let’s talk a little about micro-managers. Are you one? Do you watch every little detail? Do your employees complain of not enough trust from you? If so, you may want to read this column. And if your boss is one, you may want to leave this column on his or her desk!
How do we know if we are micro-managing? After all - it’s our business/workgroup/product; we have a duty to see how things are going and who is doing what. However, too much attention to detail can be just as damaging as not enough. One approach is to think about how much supervision you would want or need for a particular task. This has some advantages: analyzing the task, giving thought to how to demonstrate the task. The only down side of this is that everyone learns and processes information differently. When you approach a task, you come at it from your own perspective, which may not be the same as the person you’re training.
Now I’m going to encourage you to take it one step farther. After you’ve thought the task and elements through, sit down with your employee. Start with the desired results. Depending on the level of employee and familiarity with the task area, ask the employee how they would like you to explain it. Do they want you to show them with one or two and learn from watching? Perhaps they want you to explain all the way through all the steps and then take them one at a time. Do they learn best by watching you once, and then having you prompt as they go through the next few steps? Are they most efficient when you explain the desired results and let them figure out how to get there? Find out what works with each person and utilize that method regularly to hand off tasks.
The most important way to avoid micro-managing is to be sure to delegate. You hear this all the time, and it is a cliché that exists for a reason. You simply cannot move to a higher level of success unless you are shedding tasks as you go. Similarly, if you are in charge of everything, you are not building an office or workgroup that will learn to work more independently.
When I first started in management, I was coming from the perspective that many of us do. I had heard all of the maxims, and I knew that a good leader would never ask an employee to do something that the leader wasn’t willing to do as well. Plus, I was a little uncomfortable handing someone else tasks. So, whenever I had a copy to make, I made it. This was not a problem. And, whenever I had multiple copies to make, I did it. Again, not a problem, I thought. The problem came when I was putting together a large manual, and did so myself.
My boss called me in and asked me why he had seen me spending the better part of the day at the copy machine. What, he asked me, had I been doing? I explained, proud of my egalitarian attitude. I also trotted out the ‘good leader’ argument as above. I’ll never forget his response: He pointed out to me that I had actually been costing the company a pretty penny. “I can’t afford to pay you to make copies all day,” he said. “You earn too much to be doing that task.”
The moral of the story is that there is a big difference in being willing to pull together and do any task in a pinch, and doing so on a regular basis. You can bet that when a big project was due and we were all working late, I was copying and collating along with the best of them. But I learned not to do it on a regular basis.
You cannot afford to do all of the workplace tasks yourself, and you should not be doing so. It’s a fast way to lose a lot of money. This doesn’t mean that you can never make a copy again (though for a while I looked over my shoulder to make sure my boss wasn’t watching!). It does mean that you should delegate whatever you can to those who support your efforts.
Well, you may say, that’s fine for you, Ramona. I have important things to do, and my staff cannot perform those tasks. Of course you have important things to do - do them! The best way to find the time to do increasingly more important tasks is to earn it by properly passing along some of your other duties. Take the time to explain and train: it is an investment in your future. It make take more time for your employee to accomplish the task at first, but soon you will not have to do that task at all. Remember: the more you shed, the more time you will have for complex and big-picture thinking and doing. That can only make you a better worker, manager, and businessperson.
Ramona Abbott helps businesses maximize their efficiency, effectiveness and group dynamics. She utilizes proven techniques that are fun and affordable to help you improve your workplace in a variety of ways. She welcomes inquiries at 360-398-2606 or ramona@EssentiallyProfessional.com
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