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My Way or the Highway
Book

My Way or the Highway

The Micromanagement Survival Guide

Berrett-Koehler, 2004 more...

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

No one likes micromanagers. They are petty dictators. They constantly interfere with their employees. They waste everyone’s time. They hurt morale. They reduce productivity. They make staffers’ lives hellish. The problem is, micromanagers exist in almost every office. Nearly eight out of 10 employees report that they work for micromanagers or have in the past. Despite its near universal prevalence, few executives, managers or supervisors acknowledge micromanagement as a personal failing. Harry E. Chambers discusses why micromanagement occurs. He teaches you how to deal with a micromanager – whether you work for that person, or he or she works for you. And he explains how to eliminate your own micromanagement tendencies. getAbstract applauds Chambers for his thoughtful treatise on a common – and odious – problem. Particularly note his recommended tactics for dealing with a micromanager’s outbursts proactively before they occur. It’s like making sure dynamite doesn’t explode by never connecting the fuse.

Take-Aways

  • People in authority who cannot “subordinate“ their selfish concerns often micromanage others.
  • Micromanagement harms your company in many ways, for example, it undermines productivity.
  • Micromanagers focus on other people’s activities instead of their own.

About the Author

Harry E. Chambers is an author of books on business and management topics, including The Bad Attitude Survival Guide. He is president of a consulting and training company in Atlanta.