All too easily, Managers can get caught up in Micro-Managing their employees. The main drawback to Micro-Management is that in such stifling work conditions, no one can breathe. Both Management and employees become overly concerned with work performance, and the simple satisfaction of a productive work day is lost.

Some recent trends in our office that have reminded The Manager to a) back off and b) laugh instead:

*When placing her hand a bit too hard on her coworker's head, before I can even open my mouth, K.Lo says loudly, "Be gentle! He's just a baby!"

*Out on the grounds, she fills a plastic Tupperware with water from the pool and brings it to each member of the Canine Staff, saying, "Some? Bailey, you want a drink? Bender? Some?" It is a tea party on a grand scale.

*The Canine Staff actually drinks from the container, until K.Lo gets the idea to dump the water onto each of their heads.

*K.Lo misprounces two words in ways that make so much sense. One is "balleg" instead of "ballet," because you dance using your legs, right? And the other is "sunscream," instead of "sunscreen," because all she knows is that it's a cream we apply before going out into the sun. I totally get it.

*Again, before I can even issue a reprimand in regards to some object or another that she shouldn't be swinging around or banging on the table, K.Lo says, "That's not a toy!" No, no it is not.

*Twice a day as part of her Work Habits Regimen, K.Lo brushes her teeth, and Management is now training her to use the toothpaste with flouride, meaning the kind you can no longer eat off the brush. The employee hasn't quite gotten the hang of making the toothpaste lather, so there isn't much to spit out. But she puts forth a good effort, leaning over the sink and issuing a dainty yet unproductive "Ptoo."

*K.Lo is currently obsessed with boo-boos and band-aids, and we are training her to understand that band-aids are for serious, bleeding work injuries only. While Management can understand the thrill of wearing a Nemo sticker on one's knee, we don't want her to get the wrong idea about what a band-aid means, nor waste office supplies. But, kisses for all boo-boos, serious or not, are standard protocol. We kiss knees, elbows, fingers, toes. And more often than not, K.Lo will retract her request for a band-aid, walking away solemn, but satisfied.