National Association of
Counties * Washington, D.C.
Vol. 32, No. 9
* May 15, 2000
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Nano-Management
Some supervisors, and that includes some elected officials, have taken
micro management to a new level a very low level. The HR Doctor refers
to these world-class micro managers as nano-managers. Nano is a prefix
meaning a billionth. It is a much smaller scale than micro, meaning a
millionth.
The symptoms of nano management include an inability to
trust a co-worker, including subordinates and supervisors. The
nano-manager accepts no ones word without personally checking and doing
so at a great level of detail. The maxim of President Reagan, trust but
verify, is altered by the nano-manager to read in personal checking we
trust. This obsessive compulsive checking or testing behavior makes
colleagues crazy within a several hundred feet radius of where the
nano-manager sits.
These behaviors are not good for the
organization and, in the long run, are not good for the nano-manager. All
executives deal with huge amounts of information and are no longer
personally able to keep up with all of the materials which may come across
her or his desk. For that reason, we all create various kinds of filters
or sources of help. Some may be electronic, such as Palm Pilot type
devices or our office computers. A great source of help is the
professional secretary or executive assistant, such as the wonderful
Paulette Jules upon whom the HR Doctor depends so heavily.
The
manager who does not trust others will also have trouble relying on
others. In turn, this ultimately loads down nano-managers and contributes
to their ultimate failure.
We all also rely on co-workers, and
especially subordinates, to perform their work effectively and, as a
result, contribute to our success. Constant interference by a nano-manager
disrupts and depresses subordinates. The behavior of this manager becomes
organizational folklore, usually generating head-shaking and expressions
of sympathy to those colleagues who report to the nano-manager. Even the
supervisor of a nano-manager will begin to feel paranoid that her work is
being watched, and that she may be set upon while walking by an office
door by the nano manager anxious to report the latest discovery of a
mistake by someone else.
A great tragedy results when a
nano-manager is elected to office. It is hard to have a policy-making,
strategic view of the world amid regular lapses into demands for
unnecessary details. True, a directive for detail from such an elected
official will send subordinates scurrying around madly, staying late, and
muttering incoherently, but the product will not make a difference in the
strategic sense of public policy development.
On the other hand,
if elected officials recognize the hard work of their appointed staff and
make it clear the staff is depended upon to do good work, honest work
on-time, the subordinates will take that statement of trust and work even
harder to honor it. In both the short and long runs, this approach of
trust and gratitude is far more effective and enjoyable than issuing
straightjackets to subordinates with the county logo on it.
What to
do with a nano-manager? The HR Doctor suggests that this managers
behavior is a problem which the supervisor should not walk by. Sit down
with the person and indicate clearly that allowing subordinates more
authority and responsibility is important to you. These are factors which
will be used in evaluating the performance of the nano-manager. Be clear
with this person and set clear expectations. Meet regularly with the
nano-manager as a mentor and review the managers draft evaluations of
other people to provide advice on how to express to subordinates that they
are valued and how their work is progressing. Show your own trust in the
nano-manager to reform. An Employee Assistance Program chat may also help
the nano-manager if the symptoms dont improve.
If the manager in
question is your own boss, a particular dose of patience and diplomacy is
necessary. Sit down with the boss over coffee or perhaps lunch. Be tactful
but open about your desire to show your ability to contribute more to the
organization by being allowed to stretch and manage a project with greater
independence and bottom-line accountability. Most supervisors will respond
in a positive way. If nothing good happens despite these efforts, the HR
Doctor recommends that you look elsewhere for employment for the sake of
your own sanity, enjoyment and career growth. The nano-manager risks
losing excellent subordinates and ultimately his or her own security
becomes threatened. So take a nano-manager to lunch and offer to help. On
the other hand, just to be safe, get an itemized bill and hold on to it
for at least two years.
Best wishes! Dont hesitate to visit the
office at http://www.hrdr.net/.
Sincerely,
(If you have questions for the "HR Doctor," e-mail him
at philrosenberg@prodigy.net.
Rosenberg is the Human Resources director for Broward County,
Fla.)
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