Are you a leader or a micromanager? The difference is whether your team’s speed is theirs or yours…because micromanagement comes with a speed limit.

Micromanage your team and your will never get your people to use their potential, and your team will never be as successful as it could be.  So, if micromanaging is so bad (with your team losing speed and not using their potential), why do so many executives still micromanage their teams?

Leader’s enable their teams, micromanagers control

Very often, executives micromanage not because their people and teams are not capable, but for their own need to feel in control.  You see, if you need to know everything and direct your people on everything to feel in control…even if you know it is not right, you will continue to micromanage because you need to FEEL in control.  Think of it this way:  As you climb higher, your way gets more and more out of date.  So, by telling your people what to do all the time might not be adding any real value.

How to ensure your nose is and fingers are out

Leaders can’t delegate the work and just go play golf.  A leader’s job is to set a clear direction and pace, and to keep that direction and pace always clear in their people’s minds.  Also, you can’t grow and coach your people without being involved and that requires you to keep your nose in.  The best way the put your nose in is by asking questions, and listening to your people.  Also, when you listen to your people they feel more valued too.  You have to keep your fingers out, and you do that by stop giving your people the answers.  With your questions you will help your people uncover the answers on their own, and they will take more ownership for their answers than yours.

How to engage different personalities in your team in different ways

To keep your nose in and make your communications as effective is possible, you must be consistently different.  Successful leaders adapt their communications to the different personalities in their team, and by adapting to their people they get their key messages and information to land faster with their people.  To engage your people and for them to feel empowered, adapt to your people before asking them to adapt to you.  You gain more influence by adapting first.

– Pick up Lead & Influence to learn more about Leading NIFO.