No one likes to be micro managed and no leader wants to be known as a micro manager. However, as a leader you are accountable for the results. How do you transition from being a micro-manager to a leader while still getting the results you need to deliver?
It starts with understanding the role of a leader and this requires a big mindset change. This is beyond a job description, but more of an understanding of the leadership mission and what your value add is to your team. A leader’s role must involve overseeing how the organization is delivering on its mission today while planning for what’s next. You have to collaborate with other key stakeholders to develop your vision of the future, determine how this is communicated and sold to the organization, and put in place a mechanism to ensure that everyone is on board with this vision.
Another huge responsibility for a leader is what I call ensuring the environment in which work gets done within your organization. This involves making sure that communication flows and that people are informed and aligned with the broader organization’s direction. It also involves assessing the organization design and allocation of resources. Lastly, this involves looking at how decisions are made, what individuals and teams are responsible for, and how they communicate. In my last position as a VP, a lot of my time was spent on clarifying priorities and focusing on who was doing what. It was not about how they were accomplishing their tasks.
Once you fully understand this leadership role, it will be clear that you cannot do all that and still micro manage your team. There are not enough hours in the day to allow for this. Many leaders experience early burn out because they try to do too much of the “doing” job and also accomplish what is expected of them as a leader. It is impossible to manage a positive work life balance in this situation. This is particularly a concern for leaders that are promoted from within, where part of their scope includes their previous responsibility. I have seen many leaders make this transition and actually manage new areas of responsibility appropriately while micromanaging the heck out of their previous department. They did not fully let go of that previous role.
To become a leader, you can’t just delegate everything and hope for the best. This is especially true if your team is programmed to expect micromanagement. To effectively transition to a more empowered team, a leader needs to make several assessments.
01First, you need to assess what projects or activities are mission critical or urgent and where failure would be a substantial problem. These are areas that you will want to stay closer to the work initially. This needs to be an honest assessment though. Would the world really crash if this activity is not done exactly how you want it to be done? What is the real impact of a delay or even failure? For activities that have less immediate impact, you can give more immediate freedom to the team and let them grow. You can even let them “fail” and benefit from an incredible learning experience.
02Another assessment is what areas seem to have the people and process in place that are running smoothly. Even if activities for this area are mission critical, you can have more confidence to back off. This is especially true if you feel there are appropriate process controls and metrics in place to flag any drift in performance. On the other hand, if the business process in an area is less dependable, you need to proceed with more caution.
03Most importantly, you will need to assess your team. Trust needs to be earned or at least validated over time. It is an unfortunate reality that not everyone can handle delegated responsibility the same. In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen Covey outlines the key elements of trust. One requirement for trust is that the person is honest and transparent. Will they tell you the truth about their status and progress? Another key element is that they are competent and possess all the needed skills and knowledge. This needs to be observed to confirm. Lastly, can you trust the team members’ intent and agenda to be aligned with your direction and principles? This is usually something that can also be assessed over time by the leader.
04If you have trust in your team, then you will be able to delegate more and not feel the need to micromanage. In fact, if you do find yourself still wanting to micromanage, it may be a sign that there is an issue with trust that needs to be addressed. Sometimes the team needs to be changed to allow this to happen and can require difficult decisions.
Once you have made these assessments and have trust in your team, you need to give them the freedom to do the work. Good delegation means that you clearly communicate expectations. How often should your team members update you? Do you want periodic written updates or status meetings? You will want to make it clear that you are available if they run into challenges and need help getting past obstacles or need other guidance. From here, it means to let go of control and allow them to make decisions. It can be scary, but it is necessary if you want your team to grow and develop.
Finally, you need to provide feedback. This is how you will help your team to improve and grow. Give them honest feedback, both positive and negative, and help them to learn from their mistakes.
There are a few other potential reasons for micromanaging that should also be explored if you find yourself in this position. Maybe you have an underlying insecurity or lack of confidence. Many leaders are uncomfortable with their team members knowing more about the details of a topic than they do. This is a reality of higher leadership that a leader needs to accept. Alternatively, it may just be a bad habit that has developed over time. Just like any other bad habit, it will take some time and effort to break. Coaching can be useful to help build the needed confidence or to get past any mental blocks that are holding you back.
If you can do these things, then you will transition from being a micromanager to a leader. It won’t be easy, but it is essential if you want to be successful. What other tips do you have for transitioning from being a micro manager to a leader? Leave a comment on LinkedIn and let us know. We would love to hear from you!