Micro Managers

(originally published March 21st, 2005)

For some reason, the topic of managers who want to tell you every single thing you’re supposed to be doing throughout the day, including standing over you while you try to do it, seems to be popping up all over the place.

Ahmed Amir via Compfight

I wrote my very first newsletter on February 27, 2003, and it was on this very topic. Since I’m seeing it everywhere, I want to get into the game myself. Here’s the link to that page.

I don't like working with micro managers, and I know I'm not the only one. The problem with micro managers isn't that they don't have any knowledge; it's that they're stifling. It often feels like you can't get anything done because they're always in the way, wanting to know everything. Not that there's anything wrong with that but when they have to be the one's making all decisions, even those that aren't critical except in getting work done, it becomes a problem.

As I state in the newsletter article, I tend to believe micro management is more about the lack of self confidence in the leader than about their believing no one else has enough competence to get things accomplished. Their worry might be that the employees know more than they do. They might be trying to get all the credit if things go well, but also be ready to cast blame on others if things go wrong.

In any case, they're no fun to work with, and I hope the newsletter I linked to offers some perspective on them and how to get along with them. No guarantees though. lol