Steve Jobs's obsession with detail was integral to his highly effective leadership at Apple. David Paul Morris / Bloomberg News
Steve Jobs's obsession with detail was integral to his highly effective leadership at Apple. David Paul Morris / Bloomberg News

Managed to distraction



The idea of being micromanaged by a superior might send shivers up the spines of employees.

This is definitely an emotive topic but one that can have a positive impact on an organisation or can cripple employee engagement.

During interviews with leaders over the past several months, the theme of micromanaging regularly emerged as the "boss" was being criticised for getting into too much detail as people were working. Leaders in different sectors are complaining that their bosses micromanage them.

One question that might come to my mind is: is micromanaging good or bad? But this needs to be replaced with: are there times when micromanaging can be valuable?

One corporate team I know of was in desperate need of a turnaround. When its new leader came in, he started micromanaging - and, without intending to, he wound up frustrating his team to the point that team members began disengaging.

But there was a need for someone to be different within the business, as it was missing a plan on every level. This leader needed to understand everything in detail and to be very directive. Yet the people he was leading were clearly frustrated by his attention to detail, and they wanted to be left to their own devices.

The problem is these were the same workers who created the mess and were now telling their boss that they did not need his leadership or his focus on details. But in reality, this was exactly what they needed - a leader who was obsessed with detail, much like Steve Jobs was at Apple and many other successful chief executives are and were.

Micromanagement inevitably makes experienced managers uncomfortable. Yet, it provides comfort to inexperienced front-line employees who crave clarity. Even though many, if not most, experienced managers do not like to be micromanaged, the question remains whether there is space for micromanagement if the desired results are not being produced.

Contrary to popular belief, I think there is.

But when leaders micromanage, they need to evaluate whether they are being restrictive or proscriptive. If their ideas hold a business back, it is time to keep quiet. However, if their ideas and insights can propel the business forward, then it is best to push the team to get better.

Leaders looking for a simple test to determine whether they exhibit successful hands-on leadership may want to ask: why are you doing it that way, or, how can it be better?

One of the central issues in knowing when to micromanage, and how to do it, resides in having a proper view of a business's capability. If a leader represents a million-dollar business and does not have a million-dollar leadership team, he or she will need to micromanage. If the business is consistently losing market share to a competitor, and the leader can identify what to do better, it is time to be hands-on and lead the business to improvement.

Ultimately, successful micromanagement depends on a person's motive, and how much others trust that person. While Jobs was known not to be the nicest guy in town, his company's team trusted him and knew what his motives were.

Tommy Weir is an authority on fast-growth and emerging-market leadership, the author of The CEO Shift and the managing director of the Emerging Market Leadership Center

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

'Midnights'
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Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

The%20specs
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Abu Dhabi GP starting grid

1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)

8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)

9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)

10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)

11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)

12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)

13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

14 Sergio Perez (Force India)

15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)

16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)

17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)

18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)

19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)

20 Lance Stroll (Williams)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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Company%20Profile
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

Dh67
 

Specs%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.