Micromanagement stifles creativity and growth

www.FireEngineering.com FIRE ENGINEERING November 2014 67

BY C H U C K F R E N C H

H OW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HEARD SOMEONE

say, “I hate to be micromanaged”? I had never heard

this term before I began my career in the fire service,

and it took me a while to fully understand the meaning of

“micromanage.” Now I’m fully aware of what it means and

what micromanagement looks like in the workplace. Howev-

er, I now realize that some of our personnel don’t understand

the difference between micromanagement and just plain man-

agement. Some of our people throw out “micromanagement”

even when they’re simply being managed. So, either an em-

ployee truly doesn’t understand the term micromanagement

or doesn’t fully comprehend when supervisors must manage.

We need to understand each of these terms well—micro-

management, management, and undermanagement—to better

prepare fire service personnel for being managed and for

company officers, district chiefs, and other executive officers

to know how not to manage. Also, any good fire officer should

know the four duties to perform to manage personnel effec-

tively without them feeling they are being watched 24/7. Here

are some tools to become an effective fire service manager.

MICROMANAGEMENT

“Micromanagement is defined as a management style in

which a supervisor closely observes or controls the work of an

employee.”1 It’s the first sign of a lack of trust and the first sign

that a supervisor has been promoted to a level beyond his abil-

ities. Micromanagers have a hard time adjusting to new posi-

tions and end up reverting to levels of competency with which

they are familiar.2 This indicates they are working outside of

their expected level of performance and usually creating time-

management issues along the organization’s management path.

Basically, they are not performing at the level the organization

needs them to. Two examples follow.

• The manager is unable to perform effectively in his

position, usually because of a lack of education, defi-

cient knowledge/skills/abilities, or an unwillingness to

perform.

• The manager cannot let go of the power he perceives to

be part of his promoted position. Such a manager does

not trust anyone other than himself to make decisions

that affect the organization. He feels that he is the only

person in the organization who can make the right

decision.

Micromanagement can damage relationships between

managers and employees. “Micromanagement stifles man-

ager–employee communication, creativity, productivity,

problem-solving, flexibility, trust, feedback, interest, and

openness; it adversely affects company growth and goal at-

tainment.” (1) Executive leaders who micromanage assume

all responsibility, won’t take risks, don’t include senior mem-

bers in decision making, make or review all decisions, and

constantly work outside of the time-management model. (2)

Bruce Tulgan, president of Rainmaker Thinking, a consulting

and training firm, says when employees are asked what they

want from their managers, they respond, “Clear statements

of what is expected of them, explicit and measurable goals

and deadlines, detailed evaluation of each individual’s work,

and rewards for work performance given out fairly.”3 Tulgan

adds that star performers yearn for autonomy and flexibility.

Successful managers are highly engaged and hands-on but

also demand strict accountability for results. If you’re the

boss, the most important part of your job is taking care of

your people.

Micromanagement can also create harm in an organization,

as shown by the following quotes:

• “The micromanager takes essential management practices

to extremes and interferes with employees’ ability to do

their jobs properly while creating undue stress for them.”4

• “Micromanagement is mismanagement; and under it, the

manager, the employees, and the business all suffer.” (4)

• “Micromanaging may work for a while, but, in time, it

acts as a brake on all progress.”5

Is there a time to micromanage? Micromanagement can

be effective sometimes, especially when dealing with new

employees or those who need correction because of a lack

of proper performance. When you get a rookie firefighter,

sometimes you do have to manage him closely and help him

understand the proper way to perform tasks. However, coach-

ing and mentoring these new people are the ultimate goals.

Teach them, and help them along the way. If all you do is mi-

cromanage them, they will become drones who will respond

only when managed in such a way.

MANAGEMENT

“Management means working with others to accomplish

mutual objectives,” according to R.S. Fleming.6 He adds that

Getting It Just Right:

Don’t Micromanage

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management has four functions: planning, organizing,

directing, and controlling. Each function is supported by

communications and decision making. According to Tulgan,

when you inform your employees what is expected of them

and reinforce it over and over, they start performing to the

level that is expected. When they follow standard operat-

ing procedures/emergency operating procedures, employees

learn best practices through repetition and the policies the

department expects them to be familiar with. (3)

In today’s fire service, managing is getting harder and

harder because of high pressure, high maintenance, and

higher expectations from the general public. The budget con-

straints every department faces demand that we learn to do

more with less, including managing our fire personnel. Re-

member, our business is managing people. As long as we are

in that business, we must hold our people accountable and

responsible for their actions. It’s the adult course of action:

Act like an adult, and you’ll be treated like an adult. Manage-

ment can create the right atmosphere to effect a productive

workplace. Without proper management, chaos develops and

leads to organizational failure.

UNDERMANAGEMENT

Undermanagement occurs when managers don’t tell their

people what to do and how to do it. In our society, leaders,

managers, and supervisors fail to perform by failing to lead,

to manage, and to supervise. Too often, the people who are

supposed to be in charge are not because they are not step-

ping up to take charge. They fail to establish expectations;

consistently track employee performance; correct employees;

and, worst of all, recognize success. (3) How can this type of

management be detrimental to your department? Underman-

agement can destroy the organization from the inside out,

creating management problems inside the organization with

personnel and leaving it vulnerable to attacks from those out-

side of the organization (e.g., city administration like human

resources, legal departments, and workers’ compensation).

If you continue to undermanage your people, they will not

learn the values of the organization. Undermanagement also

does not properly prepare the leaders of tomorrow to learn

how to effectively manage. We are setting those future fire

service leaders up for failure.

Most of the time, we create a cycle that is repeated within

an organization and is not corrected until something aw-

ful happens. That awful event could be a black eye for the

organization from the actions of its people at an incident or

something far worse, like a line-of-duty death. Usually, that

is when a dramatic change takes place in the leadership prac-

tices of an organization because now it has to change. The

public, the city officials, and all those affected by the services

provided demand quality management.

MANAGEMENT VS. MICROMANAGEMENT

Understanding the differences between management and

micromanagement is important. Sometimes employees don’t

know the difference. Sometimes employees do know the dif-

ference but use micromanagement as a tactic to embolden their

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position. Sometimes even managers don’t know the difference.

Managers need to understand how to deal with employees who

want to buck the system using micromanagement as their cop-

out. The balance between micromanagement and underman-

agement is management.

When an employee tells you he doesn’t want to be micro-

managed, ask him why he feels he is being micromanaged.

You may find out that either he doesn’t understand you’re

just trying to manage, or he understands and is using the

statement to get you to shut down as a manager. What you

may also learn is you really are micromanaging your people.

Communication concerning how we deliver our message

to our people is paramount in almost

every situation. As a good manager, you

must be able to understand the people

you work with and, just as important,

they need to be able to understand you.

Understanding each other comes from

good quality communication skills.

THE GOOD OFFICER’S FOUR

DUTIES

Duty #1: Guide. What is guidance,

and why is it important? Guidance is

leadership, instruction, or direction

that helps pass on knowledge to those

who don’t have it. To offer guidance is

to help steer a person along the right

course of action. The importance of

giving guidance, especially to succeed-

ing generations, is that it is one way

we pass on our fire service traditions.

Guidance is needed at every level in an

organization. Firefighters, company of-

ficers, and chief officers all need people

to help guide them along the way.

The experience we gain in the field is

an important component of our profes-

sion. Guidance offers us also the right

experiences to be a successful firefight-

er. Your firefighters want and look for

a good leader to be a guide. They want

someone who will take time to teach

them and pass on his wisdom. By taking

on your task as a guide, you’re helping

your people reach their career goals by

building on their success.

Consider all the guides available to

us in the world: tourist, mountain, river

rafting, and hunting. When we journey

to unknown places or on unknown

adventures, we hire a guide to lead us

through the unknown so we can be safe

and achieve success. I think of a sherpa

who guides people on climbing expe-

ditions on Mount Everest. The sherpa

knows the best path to the top, along

with the mountain’s hidden dangers and weather patterns.

With this knowledge, sherpas help guide people who have

only a limited knowledge of the environment all the way to the

summit. That is exactly what our people want in a fire service

guide. The fire service can be a great adventure. While we are

experiencing that adventure, we need excellent fire service

guides. By being a guide and taking people under our wing,

we are leading them along a successful career path.

Duty #2: Direct. This means being straightforward and

frank with each other. I like candid, straightforward discus-

sions, especially when they are warranted. It lets me know

what is expected, how I should perform, or what is needed

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from someone. I often tell people, “Hey, if you see me mess-

ing up, please let me know!” Otherwise, I’ll just keep doing

whatever it is I’m doing the same way.

Directness is a skill you must practice for proficiency. Hu-

man beings naturally tend to avoid conflict, and so we often

avoid being direct with each other. However, when such a

moment presents itself we must be direct, because by doing

so we clearly communicate our expectations. Directness in

our dealings with people need not create conflict. In most

instances, directness creates mutual respect. Also, recogniz-

ing the times and places for directness can lead to more open

communication.

Being direct does not mean being cold

or mean toward each other. Choosing

the correct tone of voice and phrases

will help get your point across effec-

tively. Being direct is like being a movie

or television director: You make tiny

corrections to get the best performance

from your people. Don’t beat around the

bush—tell them what you need them

to do to get it right, and then move on.

Movie directors know that they need

their actors to succeed on the set to pro-

duce a quality film. If they don’t direct

their actors, the product is of poor qual-

ity, which yields little or no profit.

Duty #3: Mentor. A mentor is a

trusted person who serves as a coun-

selor or guide to an individual. Mentors

can also be seen as coaches, bosses, or

teachers who help people develop to

their full potential. Everyone has men-

tors at different phases of their lives.

Your parents, schoolteachers, coaches,

friends, professors, coworkers, and even

supervisors have made an impact on

your life and career. These are the peo-

ple who have invested their time and

effort for you to succeed. They noticed

your potential and knew that they could

help you along the way in your career.

They did that not to gain anything from

you but to pass on what was done for

them before you came along.

Mentoring your firefighters is impor-

tant because they seek your counsel.

They want to know when they are doing

the right things and what areas they can

work on to improve their personal skill

set. All firefighters want to be the best

they can be throughout their careers.

Firefighters have incredible drive and

seek constant improvement. They know

that constantly improving themselves im-

proves their crew while improving their

fire department. Mentoring firefighters

has also been a hot topic in the fire service overall. Fire depart-

ments often complain about succession planning and having

personnel ready to accept high roles within the organization.

Mentoring is one piece of the puzzle to help fill in the gap.

Duty #4: Correct. Correction is one of the hardest actions

for most managers. No one likes to be corrected, but some-

times a subordinate must be corrected. Correction is the act

of adding to or taking away mistakes to correct an action. It

is important to correct subordinates so they learn the right

way to accomplish a task. They need to understand the orga-

nizational expectations, the steps they need to complete, and

why they must include such steps to produce the right result.

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That right result could relate to a wide range of things in the

fire service—e.g., performance issues such as selecting the

right diameter hoseline to attack a fire, completing emergen-

cy medical service reports correctly to prevent documentation

problems, or treating your primary customers (i.e., citizens)

with respect whenever or wherever you encounter them.

How does correction impact management? If not done,

undermanagement results, which leaves the people in your

organization unclear on the rules and expectations. So, they

may make the rules up as they go along or justify actions that

should have never been taken in the first place. Correction

is the hardest task for a manager, but the more you do it, the

better you become at it. To improve your approach when cor-

recting someone, study and practice the best ways to apply

correction. You will prevent future issues, and your people

will appreciate you in the long run.

•••

Management is an important function in any organization.

Without proper management, outcomes for a public or private

entity can be detrimental. The fire service also needs good

management practices. If we don’t develop our people into

good managers, we can’t expect them to be great leaders.

Having a good grasp on management concepts and applying

them when needed are musts for company officers and higher

ranking members. ●

ENDNOTES 1. Fracaro, KE. (2007) “The Consequences of Micromanagement.” Contract Management, July 2007. Retrieved from http://www.ncmahq. org/files/articles/ecb0a_cm0707_c01.pdf.

2. Sargent, C. (2006) From Buddy to Boss: Effective Fire Service Leader- ship. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Pennwell Corporation.

3. Tulgan, B. (2007) It’s Okay to be the Boss: The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need. New York, New York: Harper Collins.

4. “Micromanagement is Mismanagement: Are You a Microman- ager?” (2001-2013) National Federation of Independent Busi- ness. Retrieved from http://www.nfib.com/business-resources/ business-resources-item?cmsid=31587.

5. Adams, PE. (1999-2002) “Micro-Managing Will Strangle Your Business.” Retrieved from http://www.adams-hall.com/micwilstrany.html.

6. Fleming, RS. (2010) Effective Fire and Emergency Services Administra- tion. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Pennwell Corporation.

● CHUCK FRENCH is a 16-year veteran and a chief of- ficer with the Tulsa (OK) Fire Department. He has a mas- ter’s degree in fire and emergency management from Oklahoma State University. French was an instructor at FDIC 2013, has written articles for Fire Engineering, and was featured in the Fire Engineering webcast, “Man- age Your Air, Manage Your Survival.” Since 2006, he has been a technical rescue and advanced fire behavior instructor in Oklahoma.

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