Most managers think of their employees as stupid, unmotivated and easily replaceable. And they are right. These managers think that they know everything, and employees are like cogs who need to be instructed constantly while they expect perfect results.

There are several errors in this scenario:

**1) Micro-managing **Some managers just know everything, they reach to conclusions quickly and keep interrupting the creative process of their team through micro-management. You are a manager because most likely you have “been there done that”. You know the right way of doing things and can judge scenarios intuitively. Great! Now here is my question: Did you attain mastery because your mentor/manager was constantly micromanaging you, or because your mentor let you make your mistakes. She gave you 6 hours to figure out a problem where she could have given you the solution in 6 minutes?

2) Punishing for mistakes vs punishing for attitude Everyone makes mistakes, even the manager know wants to fire that employee made the mistake of hiring her in the first place. Mistakes are human, and they are designed to be learned from. Failing to learn from mistakes is an attitude problem, which deserves punishment.

At the same token players who lack initiative are THE PROBLEM, they might be geniuses, but if they need to be micromanaged, they are taxing you and your team. Again, this is an attitude problem, which again deserves punishment.

Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience? - Thomas J. Watson (Founder of IBM)