Micro-management, reconsidered and recommended
THE ARGUMENT
I’ll start with the controversial assertion, so we don’t waste time: micro-managing is a good thing.
So many leaders and wannabe leaders and prospective, future, skittish leaders deny themselves the chance to lead for fear of becoming a Micromanagement Boogeyperson. In good faith, because we rightfully care about people’s dignity, autonomy, and creativity, we think wrongheaded things like:
I would try x or say y or require z … but that would be micro-managing.
My direct report (or teammate) is brand new (or floundering, or a real grouch) but saying something specific to that person about what they’re doing wrong? That would be micromanaging. I’ll keep it to myself.
ONE MUST NOT MICROMANAGE FOR ONE WHO DOES IS SINNING AND HAS APPLIED FOR A PASSPORT TO MANAGER HELL, O THAT VALE OF SHAME AND DILBERTNESS, WHENCE ONE SHALL NEVER ESCAPE OR RETURN.
Ok. Sorry. That wasn’t so nice. That last bit about hell.
The satire has a point though, and I really mean the point.
People - people in general and your people - want
a) to be really good and continually better at doing things
b) with people that matter to them
c) for a purpose that matters to them.
For some bogus and some good reasons, people tend to average out an “acceptable” (read: low-key sad) compromise with this very worthy, human, legitimate trio of desires.
In the worst cases, people accept a super ground-down average of all three. They do
a) mediocre, stagnant work
b) with people they tolerate
c) for a cause that’s neutral or not harmful in all cases or maybe only really hurts the child in the basement or that is benign or even saintly but they just don’t care about much.
You, fearful leader. You’re the one who can generously, compassionately call bullshit on that and stop it.
Micro-managing is one way to do so. When used well, it’s a way to help your people with a) being really good and continually better at doing things.
A thing that’s really lovely within even the harmful version of micro-managing is micro-noticing. You gotta pay attention to the details to have a hard take on what those details should look like. A leader’s attention is one of the most telling and appreciated signals of what matters in the life of a team. Your attention validates.
So, tell your people what really good looks like. Tell them you expect them to deliver really good. Then go look at what they do. Tell them, honestly, without punishing or pandering, how well they did the thing. Then tell them how to do better.
This is especially important for people who are brand new and those who have long experience but have had minimal coaching or labored under crummy expectations. Get specific. Notice what constitutes a skill at a molecular level and bring those molecules of excellence to your people’s attention.
Make the thing they need to be good at easy to observe and understand. That means “breaking it down.” It probably means breaking it down to the “micro” level.
Giving your attention to the little things isn’t belittling. If you do that with expressed belief that your people can excel at those little things, and that that excellence matters because it results, over time, in the achievement of the big purpose that matters that you all are working toward together.
That’s not “micro-managing”. That’s coaching. That’s having your people’s back.
That’s your job.
A quick story to illustrate: When I started teaching, I was a mess. My classroom was a mess. My students were unhappy and they were not learning. I needed someone (often Ben) to come in and say: “when you’re giving instructions, stand in the corner of the room so you can see all the kids at the same time,” and then say, “Great, now once you’ve found your corner, ‘self-interrupt’ if someone starts talking under you so that the kids can see you and they know that you’re not going to talk over them.” And then to say 9 other things even more granular than this - the things that great teachers do seamlessly and that unschooled observers chalk up to “charisma” or “talent” or other mystical assets.
In that woeful classroom, I didn’t need “talent”. I needed a micro-manager. I got good at teaching, eventually, because leaders around me had the courage and expertise to say “not like that, like this” about the smallest sub-skills of the profession. Then watch me try, adjust the dials, and watch me try again.
It wasn’t always exciting or pleasant to get that feedback. It was always a gift.
That little cycle is good for a leader to do no matter how “micro” the thing is that you’re commenting upon.
Go micro-manage something. Give your people that gift.
THE HOW TO
Like everything we offer here - this take on micro-management is intended as a tool you can pick up and calibrate to your needs and your context. I’m not offering a dogma - ALWAYS micromanage. Rather, I’m prompting you to release a dogma - NEVER micromanage - and replace that dogma with doing. Here’s a tool: use it; make it yours; find the settings that work for you and your people.
It's not that good leaders are single-minded micromanagers — rather, good leaders know when to micromanage, when not to, and how to slide back and forth. A simple approach to start with is this:
Ask yourself: What is the most important part of this person’s work that they are not yet excellent at?
Next, ask yourself: What specific action or choice on their part would move them closest to excellence in this part of their work?
Then, “call your shot”: Tell the person you walked through this analysis from 1 and 2. Share your conclusion. Tell them you want to see them make the action or choice from step 2.
Interestingly, for your top performers, the answer to this set of questions might be something quite “micro”. They wouldn’t be top performers if they weren’t strong in the core skills of the job. If you reject micro-management wholesale, you’re probably withholding exciting growth from your best people - the ones whose growth will make the biggest difference for your team and mission overall.
Try this out and email us at eparrie [at] gmail dot com or DM us at @growthology_now to let us know how it goes!
