Tips for Balancing Autonomy and Accountability in Remote Teams

“I’m not micromanaging, I’m being intentional.” I had a boss who used to say this all the time when the team confronted their micromanaging behavior. I remember looking up the definition of “intentional” to see how it was actually defined by Merriam-Webster because so many of us felt stifled, controlled, and resentful. Intentional leaders can help us maintain a positive mindset, reach goals, experience more clarity, and be more present. They can also increase our focus and commitment and bring more purpose and meaning to our lives. The transition from micromanaging to being intentional involves trust-building, delegation, and encouraging autonomy while maintaining accountability. Here are ways leaders can stop micromanaging: 1. Foster Trust and Autonomy ➡ Encourage employees to take ownership of their tasks and decisions. This empowerment builds their confidence and demonstrates trust in their abilities. ➡ Clearly communicate the outcomes you expect but allow employees to determine how they achieve these results. This approach gives them the freedom to use their skills and creativity. 2. Improve Communication ➡ Offer feedback that focuses on improvement and learning, rather than criticism. This helps in building a supportive environment that values growth. ➡ Create channels for two-way communication, where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns. This openness can lead to more collaborative problem-solving and innovation. 3. Delegate Effectively ➡ Delegate tasks based on employees’ strengths and areas for growth. This not only ensures task suitability but also aids in their professional development. ➡ Implement a system of regular check-ins rather than constant oversight. This approach balances accountability with autonomy, allowing leaders to monitor progress without overbearing supervision. 5. Cultivate a Positive Company Culture ➡ Encourage teamwork and peer support, fostering a culture where employees can rely on one another, reducing the dependency on constant supervision. ➡ Acknowledge individual and team achievements openly. Recognition reinforces positive behaviors and outcomes, motivating employees and reinforcing trust. 6. Self-Reflection and Seeking Feedback ➡ Regularly assess your management approach and be open to change. Self-awareness is key to understanding the impact of your actions on your team. ➡ Invite feedback from your team about your leadership style and their work environment. This can provide valuable insights into how you can support them better without micromanaging. By implementing these strategies, leaders can create an environment that values independence, fosters professional growth, and builds a strong foundation of trust and respect. Transitioning away from micromanagement to intentional leadership not only enhances employee satisfaction and engagement but also drives innovation and success for the organization. #leadership #micromanaging Happy Friday, friends! ❤️

Most founders suck at delegating to remote teams. They either micromanage every detail or throw work at people and pray something good happens. Here's the framework that fixes both problems: The CLEAR Method: Context - Tell them WHY this matters. Not just what to do, but why it moves the needle. Limitations - Set the boundaries upfront. Budget, timeline, scope. No surprises. Expectations - Paint the picture of what success looks like. Be specific about deliverables. Accountability - When do we check in? How do we measure progress? Set the rhythm. Results - What outcome are we driving toward? Keep everyone focused on the end game. One of our Pearl clients used this framework and went from constant firefighting to having his remote team operate like a well-oiled machine. The breakthrough? He stopped assuming people could read his mind and started being obsessive about clarity. We drill this into every placement because remote work amplifies everything. Clear communication becomes crystal clear execution. Vague instructions become expensive mistakes. Most founders think remote delegation means losing control. Wrong. It means being so clear about what you want that people can execute without you breathing down their necks. Stop being the bottleneck. Start being the blueprint. #startups #entrepreneurship #leanstartups #leadership #hiring #recruiting

Giving your team autonomy does not mean abandoning them. I recently sat down with my coach Mandisa Khanna and Talentism's Angie D'Sa to discuss one of the key lessons I’ve learned as a manager. I used to think the best way to help team members succeed was to provide the goals, then let them figure out how to get there. I appreciate a high degree of autonomy, and know that most of us are more motivated when we can make independent decisions. I worried that if I told people how to approach their work, I’d prevent them from using their creativity. I worried that they would never learn to do it, and I would always need to help.   I wanted them to experience productive struggle. So I kept setting goals – and people kept failing to meet them. But the failure was primarily mine – I wasn’t setting clear expectations for how the work should or could be done. I was withholding valuable guidance. A lack of structure can be extremely frustrating. Providing frameworks, templates, and examples doesn’t take away autonomy. Especially when asking people to work in unfamiliar territory, guidance reduces overwhelm and kickstarts thoughtful action. Listen to the full episode to learn more about finding the right balance between autonomy and structure for your team: https://lnkd.in/eVf4yXRP

I get a lot of sh*t from other leaders about my work-from-home stance. We need to return to the office to create engagement, they say. We need to be able to hold people accountable. I say those are excuses. What I really hear is that those leaders are bad at creating accountability systems. If your entire management system is getting in people’s faces to make sure they do their job, I have news for you: Your employees are not the problem – you are. Being a successful leader of a remote workforce starts with your ability to inspire. You need a crystal clear vision of where you want to take your team and express how the tasks they do daily contribute to getting you there. You need to make people self-motivated. Give them a reason to care about the work besides the paycheck. You can use so many digital tools to build an accountability system for a remote workforce. Slack, Asana, and even email work wonders when used the right way. • Asana lets you have a to-do list for every task that needs to be done • Slack is where you have employees send you their daily action plan If they say they will do something, you throw it in Asana. You follow up with them if it’s not done by the deadline. If an employee isn’t getting the work done? You have a conversation with them. If it’s a pattern, then the employee isn’t made for remote work. Don’t let a bad employee be the excuse for issuing a return-to-office mandate. Remote work is the future. Either adapt or watch your company die as you struggle for top talent. P.S. If you want to learn about AI, Agency growth, leadership and more, follow me so you never miss a post!

Smart Strategies from Clients I am grateful to work with some truly amazing clients. This week, I've been reflecting on a few smart strategies from some of these clients. 1. Focus on results, not butts in seats. Several clients are completely distributed, which means they are able to hire top talent from around the US (and in some cases, world). This means that performance is measured on results, outcomes, and moving the company vision and goals forward —not "butts in seats." 2. Give people flexibility about when to be on video. This honors the fact that people are working within different time zones, and also gives team members flexibility to do a lunchtime workout without having to be "video-ready" by 1 pm. 3. Go for "screen equality." This means that if some people are on video for a meeting (versus in-person), everyone is on video for a meeting. This avoids the awkward situation where 6 people are clustered in a conference room where we can't hear the people in the back of the room, and it also avoids the situation where the few remote participants don't have an equal voice in the meeting. *Note: there are sometimes exceptions to this, of course —for example, during a team offsite where a remote option is provided. 4. Keep an eye on the future, not just the present. This means that yes, we are solving current problems and challenges —but we are doing so in a way that keeps a continuous eye on our 1, 3, 5+ year vision. 5. Find a balance of structure/process and freedom/autonomy. This means putting processes and structures in place where it makes sense to do so, but allowing for freedom, autonomy, and different approaches where appropriate. This reduces administrative overhead for everyone, and also respects individual working styles. These are just a few —what others would you add to the list? Happy Friday! #leadership #executivecoaching #expansiveimpact

As inclusive leaders we may sometimes worry about humanizing too much to the point we fail to hold people accountable. It’s easy to forget that humanizing leadership doesn’t mean enabling poor performance. 💭 Balancing people centered leadership with accountability is a bit like being both a coach and a referee in a sports game. We want to guide the team to victory, but also have rules that everyone needs to follow. How can we coach and referee our teams successfully?🤔 1️⃣ Set Clear Expectations: Right from the get-go, clarify what’s expected. People can’t meet targets they don’t know exist. 2️⃣ Be Consistent: Apply rules and consequences uniformly. Favoritism erodes trust, so make sure everyone knows the game is fair. 3️⃣ Open Bi-Directional Feedback Loop: Use regular check-ins to not just provide feedback but to receive it as well. This two-way street makes accountability less of a ‘gotcha’ and more of a ‘let’s improve together.’ 4️⃣ Be Compassionate but Firm: If someone’s not meeting expectations, address the issue directly but sensitively. See the whole person to understand the ‘why’ behind the performance and offer resources or solutions. 5️⃣ Celebrate Wins, Learn from Losses: Make it a point to celebrate team and individual achievements. But also review what didn’t go well and strategize for improvements—without finger-pointing. 🔥Action Step: Introduce a monthly “Accountability & Adaptability” meeting. Celebrate the wins, openly address challenges, and collaboratively brainstorm on adaptive strategies. We are coaches with a whistle. We’re there to guide and inspire the team, but not shy about calling a timeout when needed. The goal isn’t to penalize but to make everyone better players in the game. How do you humanize your leadership?💬👇🏼 📸 Adriá Crehuet Cano: a picture of a little league soccer coach with his team. ********* 🔔 Follow me or connect for daily fertilizer to your leadership seeds🌱

Someday we’ll look back and say, “oh, it never was about unlimited vacation.” Do you remember the Netflix Culture Deck? It was a 2009 document by Netflix to set out their culture in a single document. Sheryl Sandberg said it “may well be the most important document ever to come out of [Silicon] Valley.” What came of it was everyone getting fixated on unlimited vacation time. It was so much more than that. It was an attempt to create an organization whose policies and processes did not expand with the organization’s growth. The result was the creation of an organizational culture that forms the basis of a high-performance organization based on few actual rules and that allows employees to make decisions for themselves by balancing freedom and responsibility. That’s the key takeaway for leaders, to take away how to balance the two great factors: freedom, and responsibility. >>Freedom Granting employees a sense of freedom in the workplace is crucial for several reasons. First and foremost, it promotes a sense of ownership and empowerment. When individuals have the autonomy to make decisions and shape their work, they tend to be more invested in the outcomes and driven to succeed. This level of freedom also cultivates an environment of trust, where employees feel valued and respected for their expertise. >>Responsibility While freedom is essential, it must be balanced with a strong sense of responsibility. Employees who are granted autonomy should also be held accountable for their actions, decisions, and the results they deliver. Clearly defined goals, performance metrics, and regular feedback mechanisms are crucial for ensuring that freedom does not devolve into chaos or complacency. Ultimately, by fostering an environment that promotes both autonomy and accountability, organizations can unlock the full potential of their workforce, driving innovation, engagement, and long-term success. #culture #innovation #leadership #management #netflix #Siliconvalley #leaders #CEO #williamkilmer https://lnkd.in/eDM7WwhV