Are You Management Material?

Ask yourself these questions.

Detail orientedPhoto byCartoon by Lambert-King

I generally think of myself as a big picture guy. Details can frustrate me. That shows when I proofread my work. Occasionally, things slip by me. If you read my stuff on a regular basis, I’m sure that comes as no surprise to you. There are a few things I am particular about.

For example, I do some public speaking. As I highlighted in the above cartoon, I’m very conscientious about making sure my fly is zipped. Generally speaking, if I have a speaking assignment and my fly is zipped and I don’t faint, I consider it a successful mission. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

Are you a micro-manager?

Then you are probably detail oriented. Do people under your direction despise working for you? Then you are probably both detail-oriented and a micro-manager. You are also probably called a number of other things.

Micromanagers are also the sort of people that will point out grammatical errors in your work on Medium. Are they trying to be helpful? Possibly, though I do believe in some cases it’s to satisfy some pathological need of theirs. And it’s cheaper than getting the needed therapy.

Can you anticipate potential problems?

Then you may be detail oriented. Either that or you are surrounded by morons who are more than likely going to do something stupid, so you’ve come to expect it. Sometimes anticipating problems can be synonymous with resignation or fatalism.

Do you ask the tough questions?

What are some examples of tough questions? For example, someone does something that makes no sense at all. An example of a tough question is, “Are you crazy?”

Here’s another example. A couple has been engaged a long time. Suddenly the guy says they are getting married. The tough question? ‘Is she pregnant?

Well, okay. Maybe it’s not so much being detail oriented as much as being tactless. Everybody can pick up on the situation, it’s just most people won’t say anything. Sometimes detail-oriented/tackless people are handy to have around.

Are you observant?

Do you look over other people’s shoulders to see what they are doing? Do people often ask you, “What are looking at? If so, you may be beyond observant, you may be a stalker.

If you find yourself looking through windows to see what people are doing, you may be a peeping Tom. Observing things and being observant are not necessarily the same thing.

Some professions need to be detail oriented.

For example, I don’t think I want an accountant whose philosophy is, “close enough.” Or a surgeon who asks, “Does anybody remember what happened to that sponge?” So, we need detail-oriented people in some situations, I just don’t want to be surrounded by them.