According to Dictionary.com, to micromanage is “to manage or control with excessive attention to minor details.” Is this a bad thing? YES! Basically, it creates a workplace of dissatisfaction and distrust, and it keeps workers from doing their work.
In a professional environment, professionals are hired to complete tasks. They are typically hired because they have some knowledge or expertise in the subject at hand. Why then, I wonder, would a manager get in the way of professionals working their profession? I’m sure that in their mind there is some valid reasoning, but I propose another explanation: Ignorance.
They just don’t know any better and they don’t know how to be good managers. Good managers let their professional employess perform their profession. Good managers do not micromanage every little detail of a project, then change their mind and micromanage the changes. Micromanagement shows a lack of management and leadership skills.
I bet you’re wondering why I sound so passionate about this, aren’t you? Well, I still have a day job and my boss does nothing but micromanage. That’s what he spends his days doing, and gets little else done. Sometimes I wonder why he ever asks anyone’s opinion, if he’s already got his own ideas, and plans on micromanaging these ideas into existence. Ideas aren’t bad, really, but he has no clue what he’s talking about. He tries to control every little detail of something he is not qualified to control. I wonder why he bothers hiring professionals if he is not going to listen to their ideas, born from years of experience.
We just had an episode a few minutes ago, and I came away from that with a supreme lack of confidence in my boss’ ability to lead his company. I’m not even confident that he can keep it out of bankruptcy. However, there is a positive aspect to this otherwise degrading experience: I have another instance of “what not to do” when managing people.
It’s kind of funny, actually. Of all the professional management training I have recieved through either corporate training programs or paid-for education, the most valuable lessons I have learned come from incompetent managers. So keep an eye out for those types. You could learn a lot from them.
