"Be
like jockey Willie Shoemaker. He's the best in the business
because he has the lightest touch on the reins. They say the
horse never knows he's there--unless he's
needed."7
Harvey
Mackay
Founder
and CEO, Mackay Envelope
Most
managers possess the trait of wanting to be in control. They
have the self-confidence to be in charge and succeed or fail
according to the decisions they make. This deserves
admiration. Unfortunately, some managers overstep their bounds
and try to control too much. The result is the dreaded
micromanager.
Micromanagers give employees tasks to do and then
meddle by analyzing every minute detail involved in the job.
They second-guess decisions, discourage individual problem
solving, and throw trust out the window. When employees are
micromanaged, they feel disrespected and insignificant,
because the manager's actions make it seem as though they have
no confidence in the employee's ability. Before you know it,
employee morale takes a nose-dive.
WHY
MICROMANAGING OCCURS
Some
managers have trouble delegating because they feel they are
losing decision making power. The more employees are
empowered, the less the manager feels needed. However,
managers should realize that their job is not to do all of the
work. They should not be solving their employees' problems for
them. On the contrary, the manager's job is to get things done
through people by
giving them guidance, encouragement, and a sense of ownership
in their jobs.
First-time managers often have a tendency to
micromanage. Employees who are promoted to a management
position are usually ones who have excelled at their jobs.
They are used to having total control over their work and have
difficulty letting go, because they have never trusted anybody
else with it before. They probably got ahead by continually
taking on more responsibility and paying close attention to
detail. As a manager, though, this can get them into serious
trouble. Continually taking on more responsibility can turn
into doing employees' work for them. And paying close
attention to detail can turn into micromanaging. Even though
letting go after being in control is difficult, new managers
have to unlearn these behaviors to be
effective.
Some managers resist giving employees the freedom to
make their own decisions, because they have a very difficult
time trusting employees. Even though every once in a while an
employee will abuse your trust, you can't let that ruin the
trust you have with all of your other workers. Employees
will usually delight you when you trust them to figure out
their own way to do a job. Trust is like a self-fulfilling
prophecy. When you trust workers, you are communicating the
message "I believe in you." Most of the time, your employees
will thank you by fulfilling your expectations to the best of
their ability.
However, even employees with good intentions will still
make honest mistakes every once in a while despite trying to
do their best. These mistakes should be treated as learning
opportunities. But what should be done if employees are given
the freedom to do their jobs and they are still constantly
doing things wrong? When this happens, you need to find
somebody who can actually do that job. The goal should be to
hire good employees so you don't have to always worry about
them.
LET
EMPLOYEES KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU
WANT
If
you should not meddle, then what is the right approach to
take? First, you need to set crystal clear objectives for
employees. If employees don't understand what is expected of
them, then they will never know how well they are doing. And
you can't assume that employees know what you want unless you
tell them. Therefore, it is critical to thoroughly communicate
your expectations when an employee is first hired. Then, your
expectations should be conveyed every time you give an
employee a task to do or when job responsibilities change.
When employees know what is expected of them, they don't sit
around and wait for their manager to tell them what to do.
This also allows employees to gauge how they are performing,
because they can compare what they have accomplished with what
is expected of them.
When a manager instructs an employee to do a task, they
should keep in mind that the way an instruction is given can
have a tremendous impact on how well it is done. Employees
will react very differently to instructions depending on
whether they are perceived as respectful or disrespectful.
Therefore, when managers issue instructions, they should ask
"Could you please do this?" rather than giving a direct order
such as "You must do this." The manager should then follow up
by saying "Thank you" or "I appreciate it." This tactful
approach subtly makes employees feel important, needed, and
respected.
When employees are ordered around, they feel patronized
and belittled. By issuing instructions in a polite manner, you
are showing them respect. Employees will then show their
appreciation by taking a more positive approach to the task.
The will, in turn, result in them being more productive. The
difference in how an instruction is worded is so small, but
the reaction from employees will be much different depending
on which approach is taken.
However, you should realize that not bossing employees
around does not mean that you become a pushover. When you ask
employees to do tasks in a polite manner, they will usually
respond positively to this gesture of respect. In some cases,
however, employees will interpret this politeness as a sign of
weakness and ignore the instruction. When this occurs, you
should reissue the instruction in an increasingly firm manner.
Most employees will straighten out once you use this approach
with them.
GIVE
EMPLOYEES THE FREEDOM TO MAKE
DECISIONS
Once
employees understand exactly what you want and when you want
it, you need to give them the freedom to figure out how the
task should be completed. In general, you should not worry
about how an employee solves a problem as long as the problem
is solved. The result is more important than the process.
Also, when you give employees the freedom to get the end
result you desire, you are putting the responsibility on them.
If you were to tell them exactly how to do their work, you
could be blamed if things did not go
right.
However, empowering employees does not mean that they
can do anything they want. You should articulate how much
leeway employees have when making decisions. There will be
certain activities that employees can't do their own way, and
you should make sure that you communicate that to them in
those instances.
When giving an employee an instruction, you can offer
suggestions to help make the job easier before they begin the
assignment. Especially with longer assignments, you should get
some feedback from employees about how they plan to approach
the project. If the employee is headed down the wrong path or
could complete the work in a more efficient manner, you can
propose other alternatives that might make the assignment go a
little smoother.
In addition, you should monitor an employee's progress
so they don't get sidetracked. This can be done by mutually
deciding on times that you will follow up with them to make
sure the project is going as planned. This will allow you to
answer any questions the employee may have and correct any
errors the employee may be making.
To illustrate the extent to which you should be
involved once a task is assigned, imagine you assign an
employee the task of driving from Los Angeles to New York and
allow him a week in which to do it. A micromanager would
decide exactly what route he should take, exactly how many
hours he should drive per day, and exactly where he should eat
and sleep. The micromanager would then follow him all across
the country to make sure that he carried out the instructions
properly. That seems like a slight waste of time, doesn't it?
Does it really matter if the employee goes through Denver,
Chicago, and Cleveland instead of Phoenix, Dallas, and
Washington D.C. as long as he arrives in New York safely and
on time?
Instead, the situation should be handled by letting the
employee decide how he is going to complete the task in the
allotted time frame. You should first tell the employee
exactly what you want. You must be sure that you are not
giving vague instructions. For example, you don't just want to
say "I need you to drive from the West Coast to the East
Coast." The employee needs to know where to start, where to
finish, and when it needs to be done. You can then offer
advice up front that will make the trip easier such as
notifying him of places where there might be heavy road
construction or adverse weather
conditions.
Once the trip begins, you should ask the employee to
call every few days to assure you that the trip is going as
planned. Since the employee knows what is expected of him, he
can check his progress any time he wants without having to ask
you for feedback. However, if any problems or questions arise,
the employee should be able to contact you and together you
both can figure out the proper action to
take.
The point of this example is that many roads can get
you to your intended destination. But getting there, not how
you get there, is what is most
important.
In addition, managers should not confuse activity with
progress. There are some employees who can stay quite busy and
yet get little work of substance done. On the other hand, some
employees are marvelously efficient. Granted, working hard
will usually help to get results, but only if the employee is
also working smart. For example, consider the employee who is
supposed to drive from Los Angeles to New York. Imagine you
call him a few days into the trip to check on his progress. He
says, "Things are going great. All of my non-sleeping hours
have been spent driving. I'm really busting my tail." Then,
you ask "Where are you?" The employee responds, "Seattle." The
employee drove through Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Portland
to get there. Obviously, this is not the optimal way to get to
New York. The most important question isn't "How many hours
have you driven?", but "How far away are you from New York?"
The results are what matter, not necessarily constant
activity.
Under normal circumstances, employees can be given the
freedom to make their own decisions and everybody is happy.
However, as crazy as
it may sound, some employees actually want to be micromanaged.
These types of employees keep
asking questions without making any attempt to make a decision
themselves. They constantly bring problems to the manager
instead of solutions. Although these employees might have a difficult time
adjusting when the bulk of the responsibility is placed on
them, they need to be strongly encouraged to make
decisions on their own. You don't
want employees delegating back up to
you.
However, every once in a while, managers should
consider stepping in and helping employees with their
workload. For example, a manager could help out when an
employee gets swamped with work due to unlucky circumstances
beyond their control. When this happens, you don't want to
say, "Hey, it's your problem." Even helping the employee a
little will go a long way in these
instances.
Finally, managers must understand that the rule against
micromanaging only applies to fully trained employees. During
the initial phase of employment, managers should spend a lot of
time with employees to make sure that they feel sufficiently
comfortable with what they are supposed to do. Any time you
are training a new employee, there is going to be an
adjustment period when you have to communicate more and keep a
closer eye on them. The key is to gradually step back and let
them do their work once they have learned how to do the
job.
EXAMPLE
Here
is an example of a company that gives their employees an
overall objective along with the freedom to accomplish that
goal:
Nordstrom, the fashion retailer who is legendary for
their customer service, gives employees virtually total
freedom to make customers happy. For example, salespeople are
allowed to take back any returned merchandise even if it has
been damaged by the customer8, match the price of a
competitor without consulting their manager9, and
sell products from any department in the store, not just their
own.10
The Nordstrom employee handbook is on a 5" x 8" card
and reads as follows:
Welcome
to Nordstrom
We're
glad to have you with our company. Our number one goal is to
provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal
and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your
ability to achieve them. So our employee handbook is very
simple.
We
have only one rule...
Our
only rule:
Use
good judgment in all situations.
Please
feel free to ask your Department Manager, Store Manager or
Human Resource office any question any
time.11
SUMMARY
Don't
be a micromanager. Let employees know what needs to be done
and then get out of their way.
