“Micromanagement is like cutting grass with scissors; it’s tedious, ineffective, and a waste of time.”
~ Lisa McLeod, author and keynote speaker
My wife’s name is Maureen. I love Maureen more than I love life itself. I also annoy her a fair bit. One of the things that I do to annoy her is clean the kitchen frequently. So frequently, in fact, that she has accused me numerous times of cleaning stuff up before she has finished with it.
In addition to being beautiful, smart, caring, loveable, and empathic, Maureen is very helpful. She assists me to address my issues by making helpful suggestions. When I am driving, she suggests times to accelerate, brake, and change lanes, while back at home she assists me by letting me know when things should not be put away.
As much as I rely on Maureen (I had to ask her whether micromanagement was one or two words when I wrote the title to this article), sometimes I get too much help. Like this morning when she filled a glass with ice and left it on the counter. Not wanting me to put it away, she let me know that this was a fresh glass of ice, and not one that had been out for a few hours. Now, I am a fair bit older than Maureen and I experience more than the occasional senior moment, but somehow, I could still figure out that a glass of ice had probably not been hanging around too long in the kitchen without melting.
Which brings me to Partners supervising Associates in law firms. I really do not have much to say about that, seeing that the purpose of this Article was mainly to make fun of Maureen. And my ‘research’ indicates that many others have said it better than I could anyway. So, I will just quote them:
“Micromanagement is the most toxic leadership style. It kills morale, crushes creativity, and extinguishes innovation. It’s a recipe for failure, disguised as control.” – Michael Hyatt, author, and leadership coach.
“Micromanagement is not leadership; it’s a form of oppression. It’s a denial of the fundamental human need for autonomy and self-expression. It’s a soul-destroying activity, and it has no place in any organization that values people.” – Daniel H. Pink, author, and speaker.
“Micromanagement is a form of dictatorship that is particularly insidious because it is often disguised as caring. But in reality, it manifests fear, control, and ego. It’s cancer that eats away at organizations from the inside out.” – Simon Sinek, author and leadership expert.
“Micromanagement is a futile attempt to control the uncontrollable. It’s like trying to control the wind, the tides, or the weather. It’s a waste of time, energy, and resources and a sure way to drive away your best people.” – Liz Wiseman, author and lead researcher.
My message today: Let your people figure out on their own that ice melts, and how to do legal stuff.
*This article has been approved by Maureen prior to publication.