It's probably safe to say we've either worked with or for a micro-manager in our careers.  If not, maybe it's possible we actually are the micro-manager.  This style of management can cause confusion and frustration at the work place and within the work group.  But there is a different style of management that can better guide and encourage people to successfully and efficiently perform their jobs: MACRO-managing.  So this week I am sharing with you a few tips--the 10 Commandments--of macro management.  

Before I began working with organizations 16 years ago, I spent 12 years working with families, helping them develop healthier "home cultures."  When I began to transition into the work of organizational development, I noticed something really interesting: families and organizations tend to function in much the same way.

Any time a group of people spend enough time together on a regular basis, certain patterns and behaviors will start to form and, just like a family, a certain culture will begin to evolve.  

Everything we do at NCI stems from the understanding that, like it or not, organizations tend to function a lot like families.  And, just like families, if I want to help an organization improve its culture, I need to focus on three key areas:  

I was having a low morning the other day in Seattle. It was 6:15, gray and raining, and I was sitting in a coffee shop not so much looking forward to my workday. 

For some reason I was thinking about how much faster time seems to go the older I get. I was contemplating that I was 50 years old, and that I had only 20 years until I will be 70. And then it hit me. Wait. I'm 52. WTF! I just had my 50th birthday bash, like, last weekend, right? But no - it was two years ago. Correction: I only have 18 more years until I'm 70. I just lost two years. And then THIS hit me. I'm going to be dead soon. All this is going to be over in a few years.

A couple months ago I was visiting a client and borrowing an office.  I had a lot of work to do so I shut the door and hunkered down to get things done.  After only a few minutes, a member of the work group I was visiting opened my door, walked in and informed me that “Closed doors are not allowed here.” 

I was like, “Um…what?”

“No,” he reiterated. “It’s against the rules.  We abide by a strict open-door policy for managers.” 

“How do you ever get anything done?!” I asked.

Create this simple 15 item survey (plus two "narrative questions" at the end), distribute it to your employees, and find out where you're strong and where you might need some attention in terms of these research-based "big bang for the buck" management skills.  Hint:  Ask a peer or someone else in your organization to receive and score the completed surveys, so that your employees don't have to worry about confidentiality.   

NOTE - You'll get an awful lot of management points when you: