Which would you rather have – a boss who never checks in on what you’re doing, or a boss who checks in all. the. time?
I don’t want to be micromanaged, but I’m definitely a person who needs to share what I’m working on to feel significant, recognized, and like a contributor.
I’m in a situation at work right now where I’m in an acting leadership role (it ends October 6th) over my team. I kept my full workload when I took the acting role.
I was telling Steven how I have meetings with teammates to see how their projects are going – I want to gauge everyone’s workload (since I assign projects), but I want them to feel significant and recognized, and give them a chance to showcase their contributions.
Anyway, I was telling Steven all this, and that since I’ve been on this detail, no one has done that with me. I haven’t gone through my 20+ projects with anyone recently.
He asked if I needed to – if I needed help. I don’t. I told him I just want someone to SEE all the things I’m doing. Again, recognition. (He suggested I request a peer review, which I likely will.)
I’ve been thinking about that, and how I’m very much someone who needs to share what they’re doing, at work, and in my personal life. I truly need it. That’s one of the main reasons I blog – I need to get it out there! I need to feel like someone cares! I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO CARE, WAH. Ha, this is not just about work.
But I know not everyone is built this way. Some people feel like they operate best in a private silo, not sharing anything. Which one are you?
I don’t have a related photo so here’s one I took yesterday of a kitten visitor. Steven has seen him before, but this is my first time seeing him up close! I opened the door to offer him food, but he ran away. (And yes, we definitely need to power wash and stain and seal our deck.)
Neither one is ideal but I much prefer someone who doesn’t check in enough to someone who micro manages. That drives me nuts. They changed things at work recently so that managers are supposed to talk to their direct reports to learn what style they prefer and tailor the check-ins to that. I think that makes sense because everyone has different preferences.
I think that makes sense too, and goes with what they drill in to our head in EVERY class we take at work. That WE should always been the ones learning OTHER people’s styles and how THEY want to do it, and do it THEIR way. Sigh.
But no, it really does make sense for project management, as long as there are not performance issues!
I’m my own boss – I jokingly tell Jeff “you’re not the boss of me” like I’m 10 – but I would like recognition when I have the kitchen completely and beautifully cleaned and artfully arranged, or when the little crap that was accumulating all over is magically put away. Rarely does it come without prompting, but it’ll come. So yeah, I totally understand your wanting to have someone look over your work and provide feedback (and praise, let’s be real, LOL).
Also as a blogger I like putting most of my life out for everyone to read. Not all of it, but quite a bit. I like the interaction between my readers and me.
When I wrote this, I was thinking about people like you, and Steven, who are their own boss, and if they miss the feedback loop at all. And people who isolate themselves… do they not need recognition and praise?! (Yes, it’s totally about praise as well.)
I think it’s so important to say thank you when someone takes care of things like that. “I see what you did and I appreciate it.” It goes A LONG WAY. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Recognition is probably my love language (if it’s not burritos).
It adds so much, doesn’t it? I sometimes wish I could share more, but it’s just not appropriate!
I had a boss who micromanaged me at my previous job and it SUCKED. I’d rather have someone who didn’t check in at all than one who micromanages me. Right now, I have a great boss who checks in just enough – we have monthly meetings to go over my projects/workload and she never assigns new clients to me without first making sure my workload can handle it. It’s SUPER awesome.
She sounds awesome! I am glad you have someone who is considerate of your workload! If you say you’re too busy, will she assign to someone else?
I would prefer neither, ha. I’d prefer a happy medium! Though if I HAD to pick, I definitely prefer to have some sort of recognition to radio silence. And I guess it would be nice to have bosses that asked me how my projects were going, rather than waiting for me to provide them with an unsolicited update during our 1:1s – it’d be nice if they checked in to see how things were going rather than me having to take the initiative to say, “This is how this thing is going.” But that’s less of a wanting-recognition thing and more of a wanting-my-managers-to-manage-me-instead-of-me-managing-them thing. If I have to report to you, I’d like to feel like you want to know what I’m doing!
The situation you describe is how it’s been for me for a long time – I had to report, no one really asking, and its so bizarro. Do you not CARE what is going on with what I am doing?! I like being trusted, but it’s more than that… I have a feeling you know what I mean.
I think I’m also in the sharer category. I keep a document at work that I jot down significant wins, challenges, questions, and “what I plan to work on this week” so my manager and I can discuss during our 1-1. It gives me something concrete to talk about an a way for me to share what I’m doing and get some recognition.
I’m glad you can share this information with Steven and get some advice from him too.
That is awesome you do that! I bet your manager wishes everyone was that proactive!
Me too!
In an ideal world, I think a happy medium would be best…
…word on the stray kitten grapevine must be that your house is the place to go!
I think it is! I really want to open the outdoor cat house back up!