I had dinner earlier this week with a good friend. Over appetizers, I asked him how the new CEO of his company was coming along. His response was devastating: "Well, they say he's very smart..."
Whenever I hear that, I know immediately that something is not right. A few more questions elicited more detail and the evidence started to mount. Apparently the new chief executive has a habit of micro-managing, and this is causing real pain for the employees at large.
An example: the company has a charming perk of supplying a free catered breakfast for all employees at the start of the week. It's a way to recognize the workers' efforts and long hours. The company receptionist organizes it; it's one of her accountabilities. But now the new CEO wants to get involved and formalize the process. Accordingly, meetings are being held, processes are being discussed and implemented, and what used to be a weekly 30-minute task all of a sudden has become complicated and driven from the very top.
I asked my friend what was his company's strategy. He said he had no idea; although he's on the senior management team, this valuable information had not been revealed. I suspect there is no coherent strategy! Instead, the chief executive is wasting his time on organizing a breakfast.
Micro-management is a symptom of a bigger problem: it indicates to me that the executive is not capable of the work he or she is supposed to do, and instead prefers to dive down into the work of their subordinates.
Managers, let your employees do their work. You should be doing yours.
