LEADERS
DIGEST
MICROMANAGE IF YOU WANT ZERO
ENGAGEMENT BY ROSHAN THIRAN
“ Do we have 20 years of leadership experience or one year of leadership experience repeated 20 times? “ In leadership, we’re keen to review the performance of employees and make sure they keep learning and growing and stepping outside their comfort zone. That’s all well and good, but we also have a responsibility to shine that light on ourselves and ask: Am I really being the best leader I can be, or am I just being the leader I’ve always been? As the MCO in Malaysia relaxes and business returns to ‘normal’ for the first time since March (when the MCO started), I received a message from a LinkedIn connection about an email they received from their company’s HR manager. The message was thought-provoking, with the gist of the complaint centered around ‘outdated management perspectives that belong to the 1980s’. The email sent to all staff was, and I quote: “…so condescending…as though we had been enjoying a four-month holiday and now it was time to get back to work. I’m sure my situation was like many others: I was actually working longer hours from home, trying to be as productive as possible, while tending to my family and trying to deal with the stress of an unknown situation that we’re all still trying to understand.” Part of the email advised that returning staff “…should use your time at work to catch up on email and other correspondence, as well as ensuring you are up-to-date on all projects and other work matters.” 14
Issue 41 I July 2020
“And don’t forget to collect my laundry from the dry cleaners.” The connection finished their message by saying that the HR manager “…is the type who believes that, if they can’t see you at work, then they assume that you’re not really doing work. It’s like being in the school classroom.” For any organisation to succeed and thrive, culture is key. Central to any work culture should be respect towards all team members, which includes trusting them to get the job done. As an associate of mine once said, “I don’t care where or how you get the job done – so long as you’re delivering results and I can see the outcomes, I’m too concerned about managing my business to micromanage my people.”
