I am a high data need person – it has been one of the struggles which throughout my professional life I have had to deal with but has also been a strength.
Over the years, this focus on getting my hands “dirty” with data and the details has enabled me to provide amazing service and delight my clients in diverse industries that never thought that “a newbie” to their business could add value.
Fast forward to me as a business owner – it’s a fine line to walk between taking the deep dive and overdoing it. Add to the equation the addition of employees (who may or may not have the same sense of urgency regarding the aforementioned data exercise) and there is a risk of potentially overwhelming your staff OR creating the perception of micro-management.
So what’s the difference between micro-management and over-communication? Is there even a difference?
The latter seeks to let the sender and receiver know that a communication transaction has taken place. It can take the form of “Got it,” “Acknowledged,” “Will review,” etc.
Isn’t this a bunch of communication overhead?
Maybe; in the case of someone wired like myself, I need to know that the communications I am sending out are being received. Over time, if someone builds up that confidence with me, my needs gradually diminish until I don’t need that assurance anymore. If they start dropping balls and/or are not following through, and I am being invited to scrutinize your work…because there is no data stream forthcoming from them to let me know that they “got it.”
I think this can lead to micromanagement if the trust is not re-established – after all, if someone doesn’t communicate with me as we have established and agreed, what else might be amiss?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this important topic and how you deal with the need to trust and grow while not dropping balls.
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