by Ramon Greenwood Successful bosses concentrate on the “big picture.” That’s what counts on a successful career path. Leave the nitty-gritty details to the troops. Micromanagers never make it to the top.
Those are among the biggest myths in management lore. Managers who dig for details have gotten an undeserved rotten reputation. They are often labeled as meddlesome, small-minded operators without a vision. “Back off. Let me do my job. Don’t micromanage me,” comes the response from those who bridle at being asked to pay strict attention to the details that are integral to any project. The truth is that every success is firmly based on the execution of the details that are necessary to the assembling and best use of resources. Therefore, bosses who pay attention to details have the best shot at reaching their career goals. There’s a wealth of wisdom in this verse by George Herbert: “For want of a nail the shoe is lost, for want of a shoe the horse is lost, for want of a horse the rider is lost, for want of the rider the war is lost.” CAREER ADVICE: BALANCE IS NECESSARY It is true that bosses who spend too much time on small details and hover over their direct-reports can demoralize a team and hamper growth and development of employees. But those who fail to pay attention to details are asking for trouble on their career path. Most of the problems–the real tragedies and failures–result from bosses failing to attend to the details. It is doubtful that the 2008 meltdown in the global financial structure and corporate would have happened if those at the top had been paying attention to details. The same is true for the corporate scandals such as Enron. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover boldly envisioned the United States having a nuclear navy. At the same time, he realized that it would never become a reality without the successful execution of millions of details. Rickover declared: “The man in charge must concern himself with details. If he does not consider them important, neither will his subordinates. Most managers would rather focus on lofty matters. But when the details are ignored, the project fails.” Successful managers strike a balance. They pay attention to details in order to assure that resources are being properly used for the attainment of goals. At the same time, when those they lead prove they respect the power of details, they back off enough to ensure that all hands have the authority to perform to the maximum. — For free career coaching click here: http://www.commonsenseatwork.com. You’ll receive The Career Accelerator, Ramon Greenwood’s semi-monthly newsletter. You can also visit his Your Blog For Career Advice via this route. Greenwood’s coaching comes from a world of experience, including serving as Senior Vice President of American Express, an entrepreneur, professional director, career coach and author.
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