Hi {{ first_name }},
Almost every single day managers share with me their same fear: I want to get more out of my teams, but I don’t want to come across as a micromanager.
If you’ve struggled with this tension, you’re not alone.
The fact that you and the folks who have shared this with me are sensitive to not being too directive with your/their teams is awesome. You want to be a great manager and want to elevate your team members. The problem is, in worrying about this, sometimes (no judgment!) you go too far and struggle with setting enough expectations, or worse, with setting them at all.
That’s why in this week’s episode of Managing Made Simple, I share a simple distinction that will help you navigate this situation:
Micromanaging isn’t about WHAT, it’s about HOW.
Yep.
Micromanaging isn’t the act of setting expectations, discussing goals, and making sure folks are clear on what success looks like BEFORE kicking off a project.
Micromanaging is the little tweaks and course corrections, the death by 1000 paper cuts, that is made AFTER the work is underway.
By setting expectations UP FRONT, by discussing what success looks like, by talking about when you will check in and review progress, and then stepping away and letting that team member step up, we avoid micromanaging, while setting our team member up as best as we can to do a great job.
And because all of this can often be easier said than done, if this is something you are struggling with, email me at hello@liagarvin.com, and let’s talk about how to get you the support you need. Between my Team Whisperer monthly consulting, 1:1 coaching, and manager effectiveness workshops, I can help further draw the distinction between holding the reins a little too tight and when you’re not hanging on tight enough, to ensure you have a high-performing team that wants to stick around for the long haul.
