If you manage your team like a bunch of kids, they will act like a bunch of kids. If you manage team like they are adults who vote, hold respected positions in their communities, develop the next generation of the workforce, and manage household budgets then you will be rewarded with a team of adults.
The Wall Street Journal visits an extension of that topic today with an article on managers who micromanage. The article notes that managers who make all their employee’s decisions for them end up with employees who don’t bother to make decisions. At the moment I have a manage who always rewrites all my presentations, so I hand him presentations that need a lot of work. I am not pushed to do better. In fact, my boss feels more useful when he can “save” a presentation, so I am motivated to be less prepared.
As I hinted in the last post, my current boss is a definite manager of butt in seat time instead of results. He knows the time everyone on the team at his peer level, the level above, and the level below arrives and leaves each day, but he is hard pressed to tell you what those same people are working on. My current client is a medium size company that is just starting to really grow its global presence. As this manager gets tapped to take on more global rolls he will be forced to make some adjustments in the way he manages.
The article has a good list of suggestions for the manager who wishes to give his people the space to grow. It’s not easy to be hands off, particularly for a new manager who got promoted based on his attention to details. In the mad, frenetic pace of the modern workworld it’s also difficult to have the patience to let your employees feel their way around a bit, but they won’t learn if they don’t get that chance.
From the article:
Stepping Back
Authorities suggest these tips for micromanagers to loosen control:
- Clearly articulate expectations
- Focus on hiring and placement of subordinates
- Give employees decision-making power
- Encourage questions and suggestions
- Offer constructive feedback
- Don’t grab the reins at the first sign of trouble
Sources:
Debra Nunes, executive leadership global practice head, Hay Group;
Diane Foster, president, Diane Foster & Associates
