How do you like to be managed?
Abadesi
23 replies
I've read about teams that create user manuals for themselves and must say I love this idea. I like to be managed by given clear goals and fixed deadlines and opportunities to raise blockers.
I operate well with autonomy and get demotivated when faced with micro management, and lack of clarity around decisions and motivations. I also prefer direct communications and find passive aggressiveness really distracting and unproductive.
I'd love to hear from you - how do you like to be managed?
Replies
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Lotanna Ezeike@lotts
Question:
I don't like micro-managing people AT ALL. However, what happens if one of your team members only responds to micro-management ?
Is it possible to 'like' micromanagement ?!
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@lotts I can definitely relate to this! In a previous role, I had a couple reports that I felt I needed to micro-manage, for fear that if I didn't then nothing would get done. It was a huge time-suck for me and ultimately tanked both mine and my team's productivity. I ended up forcing myself to take a more hands off approach and shockingly they stepped up.
What I learned is that micro-management tends to happen out of fear or performance issues (mine the former). And when you're caught up in the most minute details because you're afraid your team won't perform, you have to give them the opportunity to fail you first. I hope that's helpful!
@lotts Hmm I am yet to meet anyone who claims to like being micro managed so I am doubtful.
If I found myself in a situation where someone only did their work when they were micro managed I'd be asking questions like, is this person right for the team? Does this person have all the experience and skills required to succeed in this role without me needing to nudge them? etc
@lotts @shannon_maloney really helpful insights! When I'm worried about results is when I tend to micro manage, too. A huge part of that stems from inadequate communication in my experience.
@shannon_maloney @abadesi totally agree with you. I just need to take a chill pill and communicate better
I think it's important to be treated as an adult and an "owner" of a certain product / vertical / area. I've observed very different styles of management across cultures (US / India), and types of companies (fortune 500 / startup) from giving total ownership to thinking reportees are "beneath you". There should be a "don't be a jerk" motto in every manager's office similar to Google's "Don't be evil" haha.
@dhruv_bhatia Yes I agree - I think people respond well to respect. It's inspiring.
@dhruv_bhatia Certainly those toxic cultures involve a lot of distrust, what do you think?
@abadesi Definitely. I think toxic cultures also exist because managers are insecure. They know deep down that they don't deserve to be at the position they're at, so to maintain that position they intimidate people who report to them. A lot of startups nowadays try really hard to flatten hierarchy as far as possible, and it's a great trend. Would be interesting to see how companies operate in 10 years.
@dhruv_bhatia Yes! I wonder if we'll see more flat structures ... I also wonder if we'll see more people bringing EQ and personality testing into the recruitment process. Or even investing in therapy as a benefit for staff to bring about better self awareness and more productive working relationships.
@dhruv_bhatia A friend works at Stripe and gets free therapy. I think its clever because not only does it help them on a personal level, it helps the company because they have a healthy employee who can have fruitful rapport with team mates.
Provide clear, meaningful objectives aligned with a clear purpose. Embrace me for who I am while fostering my personal growth. But above all, INSPIRE and EMPOWER me.
(THAT will call my warrior spirit to your fight.)
@alexdevero it's the magic formula! I wonder why I have been in environments where managers really struggled with that, though.
My thought: The only difference between micromanagement and coaching is intention.
@behzad_behrouzi Interesting! Could you expand more on that?