I interviewed the staff within one of the departments of a large international company recently. This is one of the things I do in trying to identify the source of underlying problems within an organisation (or part of it). So I went in & spoke to people. Depending on their positions, each was facing individual challenges.
Of course there were clear common trends too. But I was shocked when I heard a few things literally from every single individual:
1. Their every move was watched up close &analysed
2. No deviation from the “official rules” was tolerated even when it made sense
3. There were constant performance chats and references to met & unmet targets / goals
In other words: Micromanagement in action.
A few mentioned that after having shown initiative and been criticized, they now do absolutely nothing outside the established rules even when it’s commonsense because it could save money or cost the company a client. Some even admitted to doing the bear minimum It is such “small” managerial ways of doing things that can demotivate people to the extent that they sabotage the business.
Remember Jobs’ saying: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do”
What is your leadership style?
How do people see you as a boss?