Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The business made me do it!


Is this the ultimate angst of micromanagement?
First, you push on your territories [work packages] where you have no business to be, and where you had promised not to go; secondly, your intrusion provokes resentment, and resentment means resistance.

Thirdly, you instantly cry out that the people [teams] are rebellious ...

Fourthly, you send out a force [PMO helpers] to stamp out rebellion; and fifthly, having ... spread confusion... you declare .... that [business] reasons forced you to stay....
Viscount John Morley
State Secretary for India
1905 - 1910

Of course, Morley said it slightly differently; he actually didn't mention work packages and PMOs (Shocking!) You can find Morley's more complete quote on the first page of David Ignatius' spellbinder "Bloodmoney"

Jeff Foxworthy probably has never said "you know you're a micromanager when...", but if he had, he might have said: you know you're a micromanager when you say:

a. I'm not a micromanager; I let my people make the decisions
b. I'm not micormanaging; I'm mentoring the team
c. Some people simply can't accept input
d. I can't let this happen on my watch, so I have to be involved.

The Viscount couldn't have said it any better than Foxworthy!


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