Thank YOU | Face Maks For Everyone | Kendall Howard 4U Wall Mount Rack | Micromanagers Part 3 | News to Start Your Day
Happy Wednesday! (or is it Friday???)
(November 25th is National Parfait Day…everybody loves parfait! (according to the Donkey from Shrek) Tomorrow is Thanksgiving eat enough for everyone!)
Happy day before Thanksgiving, you guys! Today is our last email for the week. We’ll be back with you on Monday. We are so grateful for each of you. You are customers and friends, and the reason we do the things we do. Thanks for trusting us with your IT (and PPE) needs, and thank you for connecting with us here. I pray that you have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
With gratitude,
Christin
PS – Remember the family who had the viral video “Christmas Jammies”? Check out this Holderness Family Thanksgiving gold. Gobble gobble, y’all!
Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:
Happy Wednesday! Can’t believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday! Remember that we have great prices on our 3-Ply Face Masks! We are offering our box of 50 masks for only $7.50! We also sell these in case quantities of 2,000 boxes if you are looking to buy in bulk! In addition, we have some great Kids 3-Ply Masks for only $6.50/box! These masks come in some adorable designs and are a fantastic deal so check them out!
Reminder: Get free shipping on your PPE orders by using coupon code PPESHIP at checkout!
Main Safety Supplies Landing Page: https://www.cablesandkits.com/c/safety-supplies
Today we are featuring one of our best selling racks, the Kendall Howard 4U Wall Mount V-Rack! This versatile rack allows users to vertically or horizontally mount servers or other rack-mountable devices, regardless of depth! It was specifically designed to mount to a wall (or under a desk) to provide flexibility in equipment placement!
Features of this rack include:
- Universal Mounting Holes (uses cage nuts)
- 19” x 7” (4U)
- 9 Mounting Holes
- Supports up to 200 lbs
- 14 Gauge Steel
Micromanagers Part 3: Look in the Mirror – Gary, our Chief Administrative Steward
In parts one and two of this series, we discussed the root cause of micromanagement and how you can respond as one who is being micromanaged. This third and last part in the series is written to you as a manager. Before you say, “That’s not me. I don’t micromanage.” Let’s look in the mirror. In part one of this series, I noted that most micromanagers don’t even know they are doing it. What are the signs of a micromanager (thanks to Jeff Foxworthy for the “if… you might be” construct):
- If you’re never satisfied, and in your eyes something is always wrong with the work of your team… you might be a micromanager.
- If you take issue with how work is done and are quick to offer unsolicited advice on how you would do it… you might be a micromanager.
- If you frequently ask for updates from your team… you might be a micromanager.
- If you often ask team members to CC you on emails… you might be a micromanager.
- If you prefer that any communication with other teams, your peers, and especially your boss goes through you… you might be a micromanager.
- If you often point out little mistakes (especially ones that are not important to the deliverable)… you might be a micromanager.
- If you frequently request that team members let you review their work before sending it out… you might be a micromanager.
I get it. Details are important in business. But, be wary of these self-justifying traps:
- My reputation is at stake; so I have to stay on top of this.
- This is important, and we can’t make any mistakes.
- I know the best way.
- I have to make sure this work is up to my standards.
- I need to control any communication with my boss.
- I risk ridicule if I don’t have instant recall of any work my team is performing
- Reviewing the work of my team is one of my more important roles.
Here are a few simple steps to escape your micromanagement tendencies. Be forewarned. It won’t be easy. Lean in. Your team will LOVE the outcome.
Get over yourself. Business is the ultimate team sport. Stop behaving as if success depends so heavily upon you and your own efforts. Your career success is more dependent upon others than you realize. Stop rationalizing your micromanaging ways. Your good intentions make you a bottleneck that constrains the productivity of your team, dampens initiative, and suppresses creativity. Having your team so dependent upon you may fill some deep-seated personal need, but it holds them back and keeps you from investing time to grow your own skillset.
Let go. You are too into the details. Let go of the minutiae. Yes, good managers follow up. The issue is a matter of degree. Micromanagers bore into ALL the details ALL the time. On the other hand, good managers establish effective and efficient routines for staying abreast of their team’s work. We use a shared Airtable base to post our respective Top Five priorities and post our brief weekly updates there as well. That tool allows us to unobtrusively stay abreast of each other’s current priorities and progress on them without interrupting each other. We accompany that tool with weekly one-on-ones between a manager and each direct support to both build relationships and discuss topics that require live conversation to effectively clarify expectations, solve problems, and relieve bottlenecks. Another part of letting go is transferring accountability for outcomes and responsibility for methods (how the work is accomplished).
Set clear expectations. A big reason you delve into the details is your own fault. You have not communicated in unmistakable terms what you expect. Consequently, your team members have to fill in the blanks by guessing. Despite their best efforts, they will misread your intentions. You then have to correct those misinterpretations. All the while your team members are stewing in frustration and saying to themselves, “Why didn’t you explain that to me upfront before I wasted my time!” As I noted above, when you’re laying out your expectations focus on the “what” and not the “how. Lastly, don’t forget an often overlooked element of setting expectations; namely, identify what you expect in terms of reporting back to you.
Expect occasional failure. Very few business mistakes are fatal–either to the business or your career. We all know that we learn best and fastest through failure. Let your direct supports fail at times. But here again, keep your constructive feedback at an appropriate level. Constantly drawing attention to inconsequential errors only frustrates your direct supports and leads them to tune you out. Ask yourself, “Does this mistake matter to the outcome?” If not, let it go. As an aside, there are little yet recurring mistakes which can harm
Focus on your priorities. Reassess where and how you invest your time. Each manager has tasks that your team members cannot do. Focus on those priorities. When you’re doing their jobs, you are not doing your job as a manager.
I trust this series has helped you see a path for escaping an environment of micromanagement–whether you are the micromanager or work for one.
News to Start Your Day With:
- There have been right at 60,265,200 cases worldwide, with 41,694,400 people who have recovered, with 1,418,219 deaths | 12,961,750 cases in the US with over 7,641,000 people have recovered, with 266,016 deaths.
- The federal government plans to send 6.4 million doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to U.S. communities within 24 hours of receiving clearance.
- American media outlets covering the coronavirus pandemic tend to place more emphasis on bad news than their counterparts overseas, and consistently strike a more negative tone than scientific journals, according to a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Written by economists at Dartmouth College and Brown University, the paper is based on an analysis of transcripts from major TV networks and articles published by outlets including the New York Times, NPR, Politico, USA Today and the Hill.
- On Tuesday, the Dow soar passed 30,000 for the first time ever, and the S&P 500 notched a record closing high.
- Mortgage refinancing applications jumped 5% for the week, reaching their highest pace since last April, as homeowners take advantage of record-low interest rates. Applications to buy a home also rose 4% for the week, and were up 19% from the year-earlier period.
- France and Britain tentatively plan to ease lockdown restrictions ahead of Christmas.
- States and cities around the country are stepping up enforcement of their coronavirus orders ahead of Thanksgiving:
– Travelers arriving at LAX or Van Nuys Airport from another state or country will be required, starting today, to fill out an online form to acknowledge California’s recommended 14-day self-quarantine.
– Pennsylvania announced Tuesday further measures the state is taking to stem coronavirus spread before the holiday. Included in that is a one-night shutdown of alcohol sales for in-person consumption at places like bars and restaurants. And, has implored Pennsylvanians to forego traditional large Thanksgiving gatherings.
– Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the Maryland State Police will be dispatching “High Visibility Compliance Units.” These will be groups of state troopers patrolling downtown areas focusing on bars, restaurants and event venues to ensure that there are not major public gatherings breaking coronavirus protocols.