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Do you prefer micromanagers or delegators

Lady Lazarus

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My life has made it more than clear that I was not born to be lead around.
 

Bush

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I'll freely admit that if I don't give a shit about the work, I'll let someone tell me exactly what to do. And I'll do that. And absolutely nothing more. Figuring out how to do stuff is more than half of the task, really, so if someone is going to do that, even if they figure that stuff out wrong, then it's less work for me.

Even if I know of a hundred better ways something can be done, it ain't my problem. If they underutilize me, it ain't my problem. If they want to pay me like a king but give me the responsibilities of an intern, it ain't my problem.

So I'll do the remaining mindless bullshit. And at the end it'll be their fault if things are fucked up, and the sort of folks who hire micromanagers usually don't blame the underlings. If I'm not respected enough to be given the reins on something that's supposed to be mine, then I'm not going to respect the job or the manager enough to put in 110%. More like.. 40%. Or less.

I don't prefer it, but I'll sure as shit take advantage of it when I'm in situations like that.

I mean, purely hypothetically. It's not like I've been in that situation at least a few times and have thought long and hard about this sort of problem before and get all riled up when I think about it or that I fucking hate micromanagers as people or anything.
 

Frosty

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Delegators. I cant stand that level of close supervision. It gives me anxiety as I really have a hard time with the inflexibility of people who tend to be micromanagers. They tend to, imo, be the type of people who need things that could be done in several different ways done THEIR way- and that just bothers me.

Imo. Might as well do it yourself if you are going to micromanage- because at that point you are probably more invested in the outcome than the person you are spending so much time and energy micromanaging. You are basically doing it yourself at that point-plus driving your emplotee up the wall by placing so much unneccesary pressure on them that they are constantly having to question their own competence because you are standing over them breathing down their neck with disappoival. Doesnt make for great employee relationships this feeling of sort of lack of trust in your employees ability to do their job without your babysitting. Delegating can be annoying if the person places the expectations that micromanagers place on their employees without giving them adequate instruction. Like- makes them do something one way without telling them that thats the case. But in my experience delegators tend to be more flexible and have a “as long as you get there I dont care how” attitufe. I definitely like delegators more. At least people who delegate realize thst they are placing the responsibility in the other persons hand- so there tends to be... well. It tends to feel like it actually matters that you are the one doing it.
 

Red Memories

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I am a sort of independent worker so a micromanager would drive me a-wall. But I do like initial training to know how their system goes so I don't break it, but perform within their guidelines.
 

devaf

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I've been in both situations, and both worked well actually. The first was as a programmer for about a year where the boss delegated work to a 3 member team and reviewed once a week. The next was as an administrative manager also for about a year, under an extremely micro-managing businessman, managing several family businesses at once. Both were fair and competent, and in my book, that counts more than management style.
However, its been over two decades since I had a job...
 

Siúil a Rúin

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Micro managing makes me nervous because it's hard for me to remember all those details. I go through life weary of everyone's details as it is. I usually think of tasks in simpler terms than the norm, and I solve problems in more unconventional ways, so I need to work independently.

In college i worked packing boxes for a supply company one summer and my supervisor micromanaged how the contents were packed. It also felt demoralizing to me that I had sunken so low i needed detailed assistance in order to pack a box. Now, if I was a nurse giving injections or something that necessitates absolute detail (I'd probably chose a different job) I would appreciate knowing how to do it exactly right.
 

Totenkindly

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Pretty much I'm in agreement with the general gist of delegator being preferred but micromanaging sometimes being appropriate for certain tasks and with certain employees (even if I hate it and don't thrive under it). I mean, consider fast-food service, for example... For some types of jobs and ages of workers, maybe it makes sense to dictate many more of the specifics of what one is to d.

However, I greatly prefer (and I practice now in the positions of authority I have been in) to put out the guidelines/principles we operate under, what our goals are, and then hand off work to the people doing it. I will provide direction when asked, if necessary, I love being asked questions when someone is unsure, and I provide people with the tools and support they need to do their job. (I might be the leader, but I view it as a "support" role as well, in that I might give a vision and guidelines but I'm also making sure they have everything they need to succeed and excel. I feel like their success is my success, in that it means I gave them the direction and tools they needed to succeed at least... and their failure means possibly I didn't address a problem or give them the support they needed. Obviously the circumstance matters, but in general I feel a responsibility to equip and provide guidance.)

One thing I did personally learn in life was how to make decisions when I am unsure of what to do (or how to ask appropriate questions, so that I can THEN make a decision) rather than just floundering in uncertainty. And people who just use uncertainty as an excuse to not do anything bug me. I prefer initiative and engagement even if some mistakes are made along the way, versus someone just doing nothing whatever unless specifically told everything to do. I'm really happy with the people who work under me; I think half the battle is in the hiring and getting good folks who understand their work and engage it and others.
 

Oberon

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Too much micromanaging and it becomes hard to breath. Far worse are delegator who try and shirk responsibility for their failure in leadership. It is much better to be under a micromanager who will be blamed for failure since it is obvious they are the brains behind the show than a delegator who skips town when shit hits the fan.
 

Codex

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Delegators, thanks.

Micromanaging is a recipe for high turnover, delays, and escalations.
 
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This post sounds to me like : "If you could have the choice, would you prefer to be drawn and quartered, or would you kindly choose le broyeur à boyaux ?"

And right away I think about the horror/torture museum.
 
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