- Image by brian glanz via Flickr
Micromanaging is the bane of all executives. Whether it be a movie, a business, or a Scout camp, people who try to keep track of and run every aspect of an enterprise will wind up pulling their hair out. That’s why the roles of assistant directors, vice presidents, and other middle management exist, to share the load of the people who are in charge.
With property management, a management group will take care of a property for the real owner. They keep up the maintenance, make sure everything runs smoothly, and, like their job title says, manage the property.
In a sense, that is what the President of the United States does. He isn’t the owner of the property, but he is entrusted with it, looks after it, and makes sure everything runs smoothly. While it is obviously a more difficult job, the same principles apply. A President cannot, and should not, micromanage. That’s why there is a presidential cabinet, staffers, and teams of lawyers. Take, for example President George W. Bush’s approach to women’s issues. While the President certainly took a stand on these issues, he also had others spearhead his agenda. Although Bush was in charge, he delegated the tasks to others who could perform the job best and be “out front” on many of these controversial issues.
This is a good example of management. Macro-managing is not dodging responsibility. Rather, it’s delegating specific tasks to those the leader can trust. It’s like a film director who relies on the director of photography to handle the cinematic aspects of the movie. It is a good way to make sure that the best work gets done, with one person in charge and the experts getting their hands dirty and accomplishing the tasks.
