Inevitably after nearly 4 years in recruitment I hang out with a lot of recruiters which work for well-known brands in the industry and I\u2019m always interested to understand how other companies go about their business, personal market\/competitor analysis I suppose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the last couple of months micromanagement has become the buzz word and has led a lot of consultants to look for new roles or even consider moving out of the industry permanently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the definition of micromanagement according to Wikipedia?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMicromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes and\/or controls the work of his\/her subordinates or employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Micromanagement is generally considered to have a negative connotation but it is still commonly observed as an accepted management style world-wide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wiki\u2019s definition is very tamed compared to some of the stories I\u2019ve been told and recruitment hasn\u2019t got the best name at the best of times but when you hear stuff like, \u201cmy manager controls how many times we go to the toilet,\u201d or \u201cmy manager made the team stay 2 hours after work because we hadn\u2019t been on the phone over 4 hours,\u201d I think to myself, NO WONDER the industry is getting such a bad name and these companies suffer such a high turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As any sales job you can expect to have KPI\u2019s and a number to hit but as a manager will it make you more successful if you keep ramming them down your employee\u2019s throats? NO!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a sales environment control is necessary but it also needs to have its limits. Recruitment is a hard-enough job as it is and the last thing you need is to be in constant fear of loosing your job. Some of the best consultants that I\u2019ve met and have wanted to learn from come from environments which give them independence and flexibility to manage their own business, one of them actually quoted over a couple of beers that, “he loved his job, recruitment had become a lifestyle for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How wicked is that? Imagine if you had a team of 20 guys which thought the same way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, the reality is that I hear more people complain about their job and their MICROMANAGERS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The industry needs to change, all of us know this. Don\u2019t get me wrong! KPI\u2019s will always exist and your annual target will always be there but if this is compensated with a good environment where people enjoy working, EUREKA! Recipe for success!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas Clegg, Managing Director at TalentSpa wrote a brilliant article on this which is a definite MUST READ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n