Micromanagement

Ah Dilbert. You have a way with words…

How many of us have been micromanaged to death? While it can be a reflection on your struggle to balance your priorities and tasks, it can also be a sign of weak leadership that’s filtered down the chain of command.

I’ve worked in an environment  like the latter scenario and it isn’t fun. As much as you try to prioritize certain tasks and show that you’re taking initiative, there’s a superior who feels the need to check in and make sure you’re doing what you said you would do a couple of days ago.

But the flip side of that is that when you aren’t in a micromanaged environment, you need to plan, prioritize, and plan some more. You’ve either earned a level of trust that you know how to get things done, or it’s not possible for your work environment’s structure to check on every little thing your doing. Either way, it’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.

Things come up and it’s easy to let a certain project fall off of your radar. I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of that on more than one occasion. But when that does happen, own up to your faults. Admit your mistakes. Don’t try to blame someone else.

It’s easy to play the blame game… but that doesn’t make friends in the work environment. In fact, in a team environment it’s more likely to bite you back in the end. Remember, turnabout is fair play!

But if you honestly were waiting on information or someone or something else held up the project, then be upfront and try to give it a positive spin if possible. No need to be a negative Nellie. A positive attitude can help save face when you’re not providing good news.

“A lot of things came up last week and I didn’t have time to take care of that project as expected, but thankfully I don’t see any problems moving this ahead and still meeting our deadline.”

“It’s true that Jane was out of the office last week and I couldn’t get the information I needed, but luckily she’s back and we’re meeting tomorrow. I should have the information I need very soon so that we can get back on track.”

What’s your solution to staying on task and keeping up with priorities?
The traditional to-do list is my default favourite. I also like having regular meetings with team members so that we can casually check in with each other to help keep us all on the same page. We can discuss and hash out why we may be experiencing challenges with a certain project and then we can trouble-shoot together how to get over that hurdle.