What is your leadership style?

I interviewed the staff within one of the departments of a large international company recently. This is one of the things I do in trying to identify the source of underlying problems within an organisation (or part of it). So I went in and spoke to people. Depending on their positions, each was facing individual challenges.

Of course, there were clear common trends too. But I was shocked when I heard a few things literally from every single individual:

1. Their every move was watched up close and analysed

2. No deviation from the “official rules” was tolerated even when it made sense

3. There were constant performance chats and references to met and unmet targets/goals

In other words: Micromanagement in action.

A few mentioned that after having shown initiative and been criticized, they now do absolutely nothing outside the established rules even when it’s common sense because it could save money or cost the company a client. Some even admitted to doing the bare minimum It is such “small” managerial ways of doing things that can demotivate people to the extent that they sabotage the business.

Remember Jobs’ saying: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do”