When fruit turns blue, its time to throw it out

The old sayings goes; "Idle hands are the devil's workshop". Does that mean that micro management is next to godliness? Not quite.





Micro-management is a style that I have never gotten use to. There was a line in one of my favorite movies that reflects the management style of too many companies. Red, Morgan Freeman's character is the Shawshank Redemption, was released from prison and returns to the workforce. Before he takes a bathroom break, he asks "Permission to take a leak, boss?". Granted this is an extreme example, but not too far from the truth. A friend of mine in sales, stepped away from his desk for 5 minutes to take a breather and a bathroom break. This was not his "scheduled" 15 minute break. When he returned to his desk, he had received a voicemail, two e-mails, and an instant message. All of these where freaking out and wondering why he was not at his desk.





The best manager I have ever had the pleasure of working with did a very simple thing. She gave her employees the freedom to do their jobs. She expected hard and quality work, but she allowed each employee to let their own personality come through. Overtime was never mandated. But the interesting part was that all of her employees went the extra mile.



The bottom line is that if a leader has to micro manage, they are self-conscience of their our faults as a manager. A great employee looks to management for leadership. A great manager responses by projecting confidence and inspiring creativity.