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Micro management_Necessary_evil_or_just_plain_evil
| Micro-management: Necessary evil or just plain evil?
Micro-management. It’s a fact of management life. What I want to
know is why so many people hate to be micro-managed yet so many
managers continue to do it?
Is it a trust issue? Do micro-managers think that for something
to be done right, it must be done themselves? Is it because it
takes longer to train employees to do something than it is to do
it yourself? Just what makes the big MM a necessary evil?
Or is it? Could it be that micro-management isn’t a necessary
evil at all? Could it be that it’s just plain evil? I say “YES!”
And I think most of you would agree with me.
Let’s take an honest look at this thing. We all hate being
micromanaged, right? And why do we hate it? Because it makes us
feel like we aren’t trusted or respected or thought highly of by
our own managers. And these yucky feelings don’t do much for our
employee morale do they?
So why in the world would we knowingly do this to our own
employees? Aha – maybe that’s it!! Maybe there are legions of
Micro-managers out there who don’t even know that they are
micro-managing! WOW!! Could this be a historic discovery?
Probably not, but it’s worth considering anyway.
First of all, can we all just agree that Mm-ing our employees
just plain stinks and we won’t do it anymore? Great! But now
that we’ve agreed that we won’t do it, it’s up to us to take a
long honest look at ourselves to determine areas in which we
might just be Mming and not even really realizing it!
So, in the tradition of Jeff Foxworthy…
You might be a Micro-manager if:
1. You spend a measurable amount of time handholding employees.
Ask yourself: Why do I do this? Are they not capable? Is there
training to be given which would improve their skills thereby
freeing up my hand-holding?
2. You spend a measurable amount of time overseeing particular
projects. Ask yourself: Which projects do I spend the most time
checking in on? Am I micro-managing the employees working on
these projects? Have I given them a chance to prove their
capabilities?
3. You spend time telling people exactly what to do and how. Ask
yourself: Is this kind of instruction really necessary? Is there
a way to give less instruction and allow employees to find
solutions to issues themselves?
4. You find yourself irritated when other make decisions without
consulting you. Ask yourself: What is wrong with me? Am I on a
power-trip? Or am I simply trying to make sure things are
running smoothly? How can I work on letting go of the reigns to
allow others some autonomy?
You know, guys, sometimes you need to let go of things and allow
people to find their own way. Yes, mistakes might be made. But
wonderful discoveries for new and better ways might be made as
well.
Sure it takes time in the short term to train the employees on
how things need to be done, but it is so worth the time
commitment. You and your employees will benefit in many ways.
You’ll end up with more time in your day to devote to more
important matters, and your employees will be able to breathe
easy knowing that you aren’t going to be hovering and MM-ing
them to death!! Not to mention the improvement in morale from
the employees feeling good about the fact that you actually
believe in them!
Another workplace win-win. This is what the Wiz lives for!!
Now go out there and be a STAR!
Molly Luffy, MBA, owner of Work Ethic Wizard, dedicated to
helping managers regain their sanity and employees survive and
thrive in today’s corporation. Author of “Super-Charge Your
Promotion Quotient: 225 Success Strategies for the New
Professional.” www.workethicwizard.com/default.cfm
molly@workethicwizard.com
About the author:
Author of “Super-Charge Your Promotion Quotient: 225 Success
Strategies for the New Professional.”
www.workethicwizard.com/default.cfm molly@workethicwizard.com
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