Leading from the Middle

It feels right, a few days after America's Day of Independence, to reflect about democracy both of nations and in workplaces.
Years ago, William Cobbett (1763-1835) ,writing as Peter Porcupine, offered a prescient tribute to the new nation:
This America, this scene of happiness under a free government, is the beam in the eye, the thorn in the side, the worm in the vitals, of every despot upon the face of the earth."
And, I would add, that freedom is anathema to petty workplace tyrants.
My friend Sam (not his real name) is a micromanager. He is a boss and at the top of his field - well regarded by external peers - but I would say Sam's organization is working far below capacity. His inability to trust, his lack of confidence in subordinates creates dysfunction.
One staffer likened Sam's authoritarian style to Kim Jong-Un, the ultimate micromanager.
Over the years, many of Sam's best people have sought refuge elsewhere. Unfazed at the defections, Sam pats himself on the back; his people are in demand because of the high quality experience they have gained by working for him!
Perhaps worse, since everything has to go through Sam, a lot is left undone; new outreach programs, new uses of existing resources, remain in suspense.
I pick up on the notion that since he is convinced he can do everybody's job better, that even competent staff do lackluster work; which of course fulfills Sam's low expectations of his subordinates.
I once asked Sam for the email of one of his subordinates. I wanted to express my thanks for her above the call job she had done for a group of visitors. Sam responded that the staffer was only doing her job. No need to praise her!
Why bother to do your best if whatever you do is ignored or nitpicked to pieces?
I like Sam, he's a good friend, but then I do not work for him.
Some MMs are mean and petty - they enjoy finding fault and taunting; Sam's not one of those.
Were he to ask me for advice about improving his leadership I would start the conversation with a valuable bit of democratic work place philosophy from Charles Handy, that champion of subsidiarity: "Choices, in fact, are our privilege (our right), although they come disguised as problems, and stealing people's choices is wrong."
If Sam mulls that over and wants more, I would recommend Rebecca Knight's article, How to Stop Micromanaging Your Team from the 2015 Harvard Business Review.
Why is micromanaging harmful?
Knight responds: It "displaces the real work of leaders, which is developing and articulating a compelling and strategically relevant vision for your team."
In my experience, leaders who do real work develop highly productive and successful organizations.
Ms. Knight prescribes several ways by which to bring about a change in Sam's jaded view of his colleagues.
She would ask: What can you do to give your people the space they need to succeed and learn?
In brief, a provide a freer hand.
And, for someone reluctant to let go, how do you get comfortable stepping back?
She recommends a cross-evaluation assessment. Have a trusted third party gather confidential data from your reports. Of course, confidentiality has to be guaranteed.
What Sam will hear will be sobering and may trigger a denial. But if he can subjugate his ego, he finally may understand the broader patterns and reactions and the impact his micromanaging has on his organization, and he will seek to make constructive changes.
Looking back on my own career, that cross-evaluation assessment would have benefited me, an extreme macromanager, (sometimes, hands off is worse than hands on!)
And, I could have been a better boss for my direct reports had I asked these questions:
How can I help you best? Are there things I can do differently? Are our overall objectives clear to you and do you feel you have the support and resources to accomplish them?
I always assumed that my high flying objectives were clear to others. Bad assumption.
So, there?s a balance to strive for.
The newbie employee needs direction and supervision, the veteran less so. It comes down to knowing when to let go.
Will Sam ever know? Not long after I wrote about Sam in 2016, he was side-lined with a lateral promotion.
*This is a revised version of my essay from 2016:
Stealing People's Choices Is Wrong.


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? Copyright John Lubans 2016 and 2024

 

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