Management Training:
Management Courses Take the "Micro" Out of Your Management Style
The person who is a micromanager hovers because they do not have confidence that those around them can do as good of a job as they can do themselves. It all boils down to trust and control! We attach so much of who we are to what we do and the things we have that it can be difficult to truly delegate tasks to others.
The problem with our hovering is that there is a limit to how much we can do ourselves and our micromanaging has a negative impact on our team as well. The costs include:
Poor morale -- If you don't allow your employees to contribute their talents to the good of the company or they feel like they are not trusted, they will eventually find a place to work where they can contribute and where their talents are recognized and put to good use. Note: The number one need that employees have is to be acknowledged!
Burnout -- No matter how much we hope for a 26 hour day, it is not going to happen. Meaning, you as a leader can not do it all. If you insist on doing it all, and even hovering over those things others are doing, eventually you will run out of energy.
Not seeing the big picture -- When we are busy micromanaging our teams and our businesses, we risk not seeing the big picture and missing opportunities! If we are constantly telling our team what to do and when, they can't see the big picture either... they do not have a clear vision of why anyone is doing what they do, which diminishes the energy and the passion they put behind the job they do.
imiting growth -- If you as a leader insist on being involved in absolutely every detail of your company then you are the limit to that which can be achieved!
With the above costs in mind you've got to wonder, can any one of us really afford to be micromanagers? The answer to this question is, "No." To not just survive, but to thrive in the marketplace, you've got to clip your hovering wings and be the leader and visionary you are required to be!
The keys to taking "Micro" out of your management style are:
Key #1: Become the Question instead of the Answer
One of the greatest complaints leaders have is that everyone waits around for them to tell them what to do... that they have to hover or nothing ever gets done. Why is that? Most often it is because we have taught our teams to operate that way. If you are consistently telling people what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, they'll stop thinking on their own. Instead, you want to open up the minds of your team members by teaching them what you know, and you do this by being the question instead of the answer.
When a team member comes to you with a question, ask them to tell you what they would do if you weren't there! If you would like them to push their thinking in a direction other than the answer they give you, don't make them wrong. Simply say, "Well that's one way to do it. Now what's another way?" This will keep the flow of communication open and positive, providing room for you to contribute what you know and for your team member to contribute what they know.
The more you do this, the more confident your team grows in their abilities and the more confident you grow in their ability to do things without you having to look over their shoulders!
Key #2: Have a Plan
Have a written plan that you communicate to your team and your team can follow, even if you aren't there! To get even more mileage out of your plan, involve your team in creating the plan. There is no better way of getting your team excited about what they are doing than to have them be a part of its creation! Give them a say in what they want to take on. Give your team room to step up to the plate. Allow your team to grow. In all likelihood, there are people on your team with talents and abilities that you haven't even begun to tap... because you have been too busy making sure they do things your way.
Your written plan will communicate to your team what your expectations of them are in terms of what they are to do, and the results they are expected to attain. It communicates where you are going and by when you are committed to being there, which is a very powerful motivator and tool for managing the results your team produces... without your having to be there all of the time!
Written plans leave no room for assumptions or for people to make up what they think you want them to do, which also makes it an outrageous tool for delegation and accountability.
Key #3: Be an Effective Delegator
Delegation is not about dumping job responsibilities or tasks on another person. What delegation is about is assigning tasks to your team, giving them the information they need to do the job, and walking away and letting them do it! As a management leader, it is your job to effectively communicate to your team what needs to be done and with what specific-measurable results, by-when. If your team doesn't produce what you expect unless you are hovering, you've got to take a look at who YOU are being, what you communicate, and how you delegate. Are you delegating to team members who are actually capable of doing the job? When you assign/delegate a task do you provide all of the necessary information? Do you follow-up with your team members to check the progress of the job?
Key #4: Hold People Accountable
Nobody really likes holding other people accountable. However, if there is no accountability regarding what you or the team are committed to, you will be stuck micromanaging each and every detail of every job... making sure tasks are followed through on... because your team won't own their responsibility for the end result. You've got to teach accountability, make sure your team understands their responsibility to the job, get their commitment, and hold them accountable for doing what they say they are going to do, which does not require you to stand over the shoulders of your team members every minute of every work day!
Key #5: Teach What You Know
Take on the management of your team from the perspective of a teacher and student. When we learn we grow from that knowledge and that knowledge takes root when we teach it to others! Effectively managing your team is really about perpetuating a cycle where you, as a manager and team leader, teach what you know, which makes room for more learning and more growing, which makes room for our team's growth too. Do you see the cycle? When we learn, we grow, and in order to move to the next level we've got to teach what we've learned! LGT... Learn - Grow - Teach... LGT!!!
What would happen if you fostered in your company an environment where everyone -- yourself and your team members included -- were committed to learning, growing, and teaching? Think about everything that you could accomplish!
Clipping your hovering wings and taking "micro" out of your management style takes much more than simply saying you aren't going to be that way any more. It requires you as the team leader is to be the visionary, learn what you don't know about where you are going, put your vision into language and a written plan, clearly communicate the plan for achieving it, ask for help (through both delegation and accountability), and teach, teach, teach, and teach some more!
When you do so, effective management of your team becomes something that falls out of what you do, rather than it being something you have to do. Now, how cool is that?
Clay Nelson:
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