HOW TO LEAD WITHOUT MICROMANAGING

Leadership is integral to business success. It encompasses taking the lead and managing people within a company. Unfortunately, many leaders micromanage their teams in the name of leadership. Gartner defines micromanagement as the excessive supervision of teams, while Forbes describes it as a form of bullying since it’s about taking control of people.

Simply, micromanagement is a management style that seeks to excessively direct and control teams to obtain immediate results through over-involvement, exaggerating details, measuring progress frequently, and obsessing over information gathering. It is one of the quickest ways to shut down productivity, creative minds, and passionate teams.

Micromanagers are not deliberately trying to cause distress in the workplace, even though the outcomes are usually fed-up teams and burnout. In fact, people who micromanage rarely intend to disempower those they supervise. There is a fine line between leadership and micromanagement. The problem is, leaders begin to blur the lines between checking in on their teams regularly and becoming a micromanager.

Leaders should be content with taking an occasional back seat and allowing their teams to do what they are hired to do.

When you’re constantly checking in on your teams, thinking that you’re moving forward, you might actually be interfering and hindering their performance. Leaders should be content with taking an occasional back seat and allowing their teams to go about their business. People have strong negative emotional and physiological reactions to unwanted help.

Research shows micromanagement is among the top three reasons teams resign. Micromanaging isn’t leading; it’s controlling. It isn’t mentoring; it’s anti-learning. It isn’t supportive; it’s undermining. Summarily, micromanagement is an insecure way to lead.

Micromanagement is an insecure way to lead.

In a recent study conducted by Leadership IQ, the optimal time a team member should engage with their manager is about six hours a week. This includes any email exchanges, group meetings, phone calls, one-on-ones, etc., which all contribute to the team feeling more engaged and inspired. Anything more than these causes undue stress, demoralizes your team, and is an executive waste of time. On the other hand, when the hours are less than six, the team feels less engaged and inspired. Your team needs to be granted the time, space, and authority to do their job.

It’s crucial for leaders to understand that their team members are human capital. Without them, your business will cease to exist. Steve Jobs rightly said, it doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do. Simon Sinek added, when we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we raise leaders.

It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.

The challenge of balancing oversight with autonomy can be tricky. Here’s the dilemma leaders face: being too involved with their teams’ work makes them feel pressured and incapable, but not being involved at all makes them feel dissatisfied and disengaged. How do you find the balance then?

Avoiding micromanagement begins with setting clear expectations for your team. It’s crucial to communicate these goals effectively and ensure that each team member understands their role in achieving them.

Effective delegation is another key solution. Leaders need to trust their team members with responsibilities. This involves clearly communicating the scope of tasks, expected outcomes, and deadlines, while allowing team members the flexibility to approach their work in their own way.

Providing autonomy to teams is essential for fostering a healthy work environment. Encouraging decision-making at all levels empowers team members to take initiative and make decisions within their areas of responsibility. Creating a safe environment where teams feel free to experiment and learn from their mistakes is vital.

Focusing on results rather than processes. Leaders should evaluate teams based on the outcomes they achieve rather than the exact methods they use. This approach provides team with the freedom to achieve the desired results.

Empowering your team through investment in training and development is another essential strategy. Providing opportunities for ongoing learning and development will help everyone to handle their responsibilities more effectively.

When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we raise leaders.

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