I’ve been onboarding new team members this year and found myself being good at telling them what to do. However, I’ve mistakenly assumed they know how to do it (because they are smart and talented people). But when I perceive that they’ve made an error, I immediately jump to telling them how to do it differently. It’s not gone well. Let me share the adjustments I’ve made.

This Week’s Edition

Micromanagement is where managers feel the need to control aspects of their employee’s work & decision-making to an extreme degree – more than is necessary or healthy for a usual working relationship. 

Clarify Your Thinking

In my role as a leadership coach, I do a lot of research and am in conversations with many leaders. A constant theme that emerges is the idea that employees feel like they are being micromanaged. 

In fact, I’ve lost count of how many leaders have said, “How do I tell people what to do without them feeling like I am micromanaging them.”

Spoiler alert… leadership rant from a recent leader’s coaching session: 

“Robin, can we all agree that the word “micromanage” is an insidious term often used against leaders at the slightest hint of instructing someone? What happened to the concept of “managing”? That word has become extinct. “Micromanaging” has taken its place.”

To some extent, he’s not wrong. But this is the world in which we find ourselves. Being a leader who thinks twice about the delivery of their instruction to minimize misinterpretation and ensure alignment may not be a bad thing. If you are going to be a leader, you might as well be a good one.

Old Thinking: I told them what to do. Why didn’t they do it right the first time? If I want it done right, I guess I’ll have to do it myself.  

New Thinking: In addition to sharing what needs to be done, I can teach them how I want it done and invite their ideas on how it can be done too. My team can’t read my mind.

Thoughts Lead to Actions

I’ve had to make some adjustments to my leadership to lead my team more effectively.  Here are three things I have done differently:

Step 1: Be clear on my expectations of what needs to be done.

• I’ve got to be super clear on what I want

• Then, I have them share back with me what they heard

Step 2: Teach them how I would typically go about doing the task

• Ask them questions to clarify that they understand the how

• Let them know that I trust them with the task and that I am simply teaching my approach to the how

Step 3: Ask them if they would approach it differently or if they know of a better way to accomplish the task

• Invite them to teach me their knowledge and skill

• Increase their ownership of the task or project

This adjustment in my leadership has been had an incredible impact on our team. Fifty percent of the time, the team has learned something new from me. I’ve been shocked at the rate of adoption of new thinking and new skills.  The other half of the time, I have learned something new myself and ended up adopting their approach. 

This has made our team tighter, more trusting and increasingly efficient. No micromanagement here… only engaged learning and true ownership and initiative.

Boost Your Performance

The fulcrum of your leadership (to gain the maximum leverage) is: to set expectations, teach your team and ask your team to teach you.  Find out how in this week’s video.

What’s Your Opinion?

What’s the worst micromanagement experience you’ve ever had with a leader? Let me know at robin.pou@robinpou.com.

If you are going to be a leader, you might as well be a good one. Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!

Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist

We live to make bad leadership extinct so forward this newsletter to others who strive to be confident leaders. 

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What is “The Confident Leader”?

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.