Micromanagement, what’s this?
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’m always interested to understand how other companies go about their business, personal market/competitor analysis I suppose.
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.
What is the definition of micromanagement according to Wikipedia?
“Micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes and/or controls the work of his/her subordinates or employees.
Micromanagement is generally considered to have a negative connotation but it is still commonly observed as an accepted management style world-wide.”
Wiki’s definition is very tamed compared to some of the stories I’ve been told and recruitment hasn’t got the best name at the best of times but when you hear stuff like, “my manager controls how many times we go to the toilet,” or “my manager made the team stay 2 hours after work because we hadn’t been on the phone over 4 hours,” I think to myself, NO WONDER the industry is getting such a bad name and these companies suffer such a high turnover.
Is it correct to micromanage people?
As any sales job you can expect to have KPI’s and a number to hit but as a manager will it make you more successful if you keep ramming them down your employee’s throats? NO!
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’ve 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.”
How wicked is that? Imagine if you had a team of 20 guys which thought the same way?
Unfortunately, the reality is that I hear more people complain about their job and their MICROMANAGERS.
Conclusion?
The industry needs to change, all of us know this. Don’t get me wrong! KPI’s 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!
Thomas Clegg, Managing Director at TalentSpa wrote a brilliant article on this which is a definite MUST READ.
What are your thoughts on this?
