Tommie had a reputation for being a micromanager. He didn’t care. He believed that if you wanted something done right you had to do it yourself. And he had the results to prove it.

It had taken him seven years to become branch manager of Wheeler’s fifteenth best performing location in the metropolitan area. He was glad that he didn’t work at the best performing location – they were too busy and he knew his style wouldn’t cut it at the hectic location. Dana, the branch manager there, actually was a pretty good guy. Sometimes Dana spoke a bit too bluntly at some of the city-wide branch manager meetings but it was apparent that he had his management act together. Tommie could see why Dana was leading the top performing branch in the city.

Still, Tommie was proud of his upward movement. He had finally persuaded the district manager to move him to the fifteenth best performing location. The district manager was responsible for all 20 locations and tended to visit just a handful of the locations – those with the biggest challenges. Tommie and the district manager had become well acquainted. In fact, it seemed that Tommie and the district manager shared some similar thinking about doing it yourself if you wanted the job done right.

Tommie had finally been able to convince the district manager that Nicky was to blame for the high turnover at the third from the bottom branch where Tommie had previously been assigned. Nicky, the human resources manager would hire some dirtbag and then one of two things would happen. One, they would quit and leave immediately often complaining of his results-driven management style. Or, two they would quit and stay, remaining on the payroll but so worthless in getting anything done that Tommie had to perpetually do it himself since he wanted it done right.

Now that he held the title of branch manager he was no longer classified as a non-exempt employee. He still worked 60 – 80 hours a week which nagged him. Previously when he was a management trainee, a management associate and a management colleague he was classified as a non-exempt employee. Thus the 60 – 80 hour workweeks suited him fine because he received a lot of overtime pay. Wheeler’s wasn’t fully staffed enough to limit managers to working just 40 hours per week. The extra expense from overtime pay was creating pressure on the bottom line of the business although Tommie wasn’t aware of it.  

Tommie was tired of sending emails to Nicky. She seldom answered them and it frustrated him. He saw himself as a good communicator. He knew that sometimes people needed to receive the same email message several times before it really sank in. That’s why he kept a cut-and-paste document with phrases and clichés that he could use over and over until someone finally understood what he was trying to say.

If only more people knew how to communicate he often complained. And in fact, that was part of Nicky’s problem. She just didn’t know how to communicate. If she didn’t answer his emails then he suspected she wasn’t answering emails of potential hires that likely had a good work ethic. He felt like he had told her a hundred times that she couldn’t keep hiring dirtbags if she wanted to get on top of the employee turnover.

As he finished his latest email to Nicky he wondered if he should employ some slightly different wording. He wanted to keep the same message, “don’t keep hiring dirtbags.” Surely this wasn’t that difficult of a concept to grasp. On the other hand if Nicky was lacking in some basic communication skills perhaps the principle was indeed foreign to her.

Tommie reviewed his cheat sheet of phrases and clichés. He knew he had to be careful with his language. His father might have been able to get away with using some obscene terms for referring to men and women but Tommie lived in a different age. His phrasing had to be more gender neutral. That’s why he stuck with “dirtbags.” What about dirtballs? Nah, he’d better stick with what already worked.

Tommie closed the cheat sheet document on his computer and reflected on something Dana had told him. Apparently Dana “walked around catching people doing things right.” What he couldn’t quite fathom was how you did that with a dirtbag employee. He pictured just recently having to tell an employee to give up her seat, stand behind him and watch how it was supposed to be done correctly while he took over her computer in front of the customer. What was he supposed to say? “Hey, good job on warming my seat for me.”

When Tommie had asked Dana how his dirtbags were doing, Dana got a bit testy. Tommie could see the “pull-no-punches” attitude cross his face. Dana said, “Please don’t call my people dirtbags.” Tommie wasn’t really sure what to do with that response. Dana was, after all, pretty good on the communication thing. Tommie decided to just let it go.

If only Nicky would concentrate on hiring some people who knew how to work. He sure didn’t have time to train every dirtbag who walked through the door. Thankfully, his district manager didn’t expect him to do that. 

Tommie couldn’t work late tonight. He had parenting class. He was going through a divorce. As part of the ridiculous process he and his soon to be “ex” had to attend these classes. The classes required them to make up some plan so that they had consistency in parenting their two kids. He did love his kids but he had learned parenting from his divorced parents. If he had been able to achieve consistency with his ex he wouldn’t be going through the divorce he reasoned.

Maybe he did have to work late after all. It was his standard excuse for skipping management training. He had to work late and didn’t have time for class. “If you wanted it done right, you had to do it yourself,” he said out loud to himself again. It was his mantra. If he did end up going to parenting class he’d push to get this concept taught to his kids.

For Discussion or Reflection

There are nine common delegation derailers including, “If you want it done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.” What derails you from successfully delegating?

What is the district manager’s responsibility in coaching Tommie to be more effective in delegating? Is it possible for the district manager to coach Tommie to delegate better if he or she lacks the skill themselves?

Who is responsible for reducing employee turnover, Tommie or Nicky? Both? Neither?

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