From the course: Managing Teams

Support, don't micromanage

From the course: Managing Teams

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Support, don't micromanage

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- Have you ever struggled with your desire to stay involved and informed without coming across as overbearing and distrusting? Once you've delegated a task, you can easily wonder if things are progressing as they should. That wonder can turn into worry, which can easily lead to micromanagement. Micromanaging is bad for you and your employees. It signals a lack of trust in their abilities, and it will likely lead to resentment, frustration, and burnout. But what's the right balance between keeping a pulse on work productivity and giving your employees the space to complete their tasks, grow professionally, and develop a sense of ownership over their work? The line between support and micromanagement isn't always clear. So here are three tips to help you ensure you're providing the right amount of support without overstepping. First, keep a regular schedule of check-ins rather than conducting surprise check-ins. After delegating a task or project, take some time to forecast the scope of the work and develop a timeline for check-ins. This could be at a regular cadence of weekly, biweekly, or monthly, or based on milestones for the project. Either way, by having scheduled times for employees to give you updates, it won't come as a surprise that you're looking for status updates on the work. This allows your team to prepare for the discussion. Second, guide, instead of doing. When receiving status updates, try to avoid the trap of telling employees exactly what they should do or stepping in to complete the task yourself. It may be faster for you to just do the work, but that isn't the point. You moved into management to elevate the type of work you're focusing on, which means you need to help the people you're leading learn the skills you've already mastered. This doesn't mean they need to complete the work exactly as you would've done it. The third tip is to ask questions rather than providing answers. Here are three questions you can regularly ask during check-in conversations. What resources do you need to move forward? How can I support you? Is there anything I should stop doing? The last question is an important one to remember. There may be things you're doing that are not needed and that your employees might not feel comfortable pointing out unprompted. So, make sure you ask if there are efforts you are making that don't support the team's mission. By keeping a regular cadence of check-ins, guiding instead of doing, and asking good questions, you can support your employees rather than micromanage them.

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