I believe that PR (Personal Responsibility) is the solution to all problems organization’s face. Think about it, what would your organization’s results look like if every employee (and I mean everyone) was personally responsible for goals, and their own actions? If they took personal responsibility for the organizations results.
Every employee understanding PR is easier said than done. PR comes from accountability. In order to master PR you must be able be held accountable. You must be open to it.
Have you ever heard someone make one of the following statements? “I don’t want to be micromanaged” or “Stop trying to micromanage me.” Perhaps you yourself have said something like that before. There is no such thing as being micromanaged. The majority of times you hear someone make one of those statements, it is in response to someone upping the accountability. Maybe your manager now requires you to provide a weekly report or even a daily one. That is not micromanaging. It is them holding you accountable. If you are able to be held accountable, you can master PR and become a part of the solution, not the problem.
Micromanaging is a myth that we put into our own head when we are not doing the things we are supposed to do. How difficult is it to submit a weekly or daily report? And do you really think it is that bad that your manager wants to know how you are spending your time? If they don’t want to know what you are doing, then they have a problem. High achievers won’t have any problem submitting a report because they are confident that their activity is producing results.
There are plenty of other examples of things your manager may ask of you that are for accountability purposes. Perhaps they would like to have a meeting with you every week. Maybe they want you to start tracking your hours. Remember the oldest form of accountability in the workplace? It was a time clock! Employees would have to punch in and out. You don’t see those as much anymore.
Think about what you would do if your boss said that you now were going to be required to clock in and out every day? How would you respond? Would you think you were being micromanaged? Or would you think that maybe you need to get your act together? PR means always thinking that YOU need to get YOUR act together. PR is about micromanaging YOURSELF! The problem is not your boss. It is not that you are being micromanaged. It is that you are not producing to your capabilities. You are not growing. Do something about that!
The next time you think you are being micromanaged, take a step back and really look in the mirror. Why do you think that? Why is this happening to you? Is there anything in your recent performance that could have led to this? These are questions that someone asks themselves when they understand PR.
Someone who says they are being micromanaged? That sounds like a personal problem to me. How about you get over it and get back to doing what you are supposed to do? How about you start micromanaging yourself?
We need results. We don’t need whining and excuses. If you can’t get on board and be a part of the solution, perhaps it is time you got off board.
This is an interesting perspective. I think when you use the word “micromanaging” you’re referring to a supervisor who is interested in accountability. But when most people use the word “micromanging” they are describing an environment in which people don’t have to have any accountability, because every aspect of their work is overseen, critiqued, and specified.
Look at the example of submitting a daily or weekly report. This is not difficult, of course, to do. But a key question would be: **why does your manager want you to stop working and report on what you are doing?** Shouldn’t the work product be evidence enough of your progress?
You also mention that the time clock is a form of accountability. But I disagree; it’s a form of control. Just because you’re clocked in doesn’t mean that you’re working; it means that you’re being paid for that period of time. A time clock doesn’t create an incentive to be accountable and productive. In fact, it creates an incentive to do the opposite: to take as much time as you possibly can to get things done.
Of course personal responsibility is of paramount importance. But the phrase “I’m being micromanaged” doesn’t tell me that a person isn’t be responsible. In fact, it tells me that they don’t have to be, because their manager is taking over all of the responsibility for them.
There is such a thing as bad management. One of the hallmarks of bad management is not trusting your employees to get things done. If managers focus on trust—and then seeing what results they get—they will never be accused of micromanagement. If you feel you’re being micromanaged, bring the conversation back to results. If your boss cares more about watching you than they do about you getting things done, you have the responsibility to yourself to find another job.
Thanks so much for the comment, Robby. You make some great points and I mostly agree. In my experience the people that typically complain about being “micromanaged” rarely are the ones in that type of environment. Often it is an excuse or a reaction to any accountability. There must be some forms of accountability in place. Yes, trust is vital but blind trust is insane. There must be a balance of trust and accountability.
I do not believe most good reporting systems are a product of “micromanagement.” An effective manager must inspect what they expect. There are numerous ways to do this and a good reporting system is one of them. Of course there is such a thing as too many reports. A manager as you said must focus on results, but if they ONLY focus on results and those results are poor, it is on them. Results should be the main focus, but they must also know what their people are doing. What actions are being taken and what results are coming from those actions?
I personally have never met a top performer that complains of being “micromanaged.” This is because a top performer usually will not allow themselves to be in that kind of environment very long. As you said, they will find another job.
Thanks again for the insightful comment.