Minimizing Micromanagement to Become a Better Leader
When I began managing employees at Happy Brain Science it was almost instinct for me to think that being constantly “on top of my team’s deliverables” (i.e. looking over their shoulders as they deliver their task) was the surefire way to boost productivity.
I frequently dropped by my team member’s desks to check on their progress; and at first, I definitely gave unsolicited advice on how to implement a task since I used to be the one doing the tasks they were working on (I thought I knew better!). Even worse, as their manager, I was committing to tasks on behalf of my team without their input.
Care to take any guess how that turned out at first?
If you guessed that we still managed to meet our goals, you would be right. But, and it’s a big BUT right there, success only lasted for a short time. Eventually, this micromanager realized she was killing her team’s productivity.
Why is that? Because micromanagement kills autonomy, which is one of the “big three” intrinsic motivators.
If a person is frequently micromanaged, their creativity dwindles; they’re less likely to speak up or request for feedback, and will fall-back to simply and only doing what is necessary to get by at work. Autonomy allows employees to feel that they have a greater degree of control over their work and their output. It allows employees to be consulted and have an input in the decisions which have a direct impact to their team or their own work. This results in them feeling more valued and thus will be encouraged to speak up to provide suggestions even if in the end, another option will eventually be chosen.
So how did I (and how can you) minimize micromanagement while giving autonomy and still managing to meet goals?
Become a more of leader than a manager.
A leader focuses on the end goal, the objective; while a micro-manager wants to be involved every step of the way.
A leader creates clear, compelling goals with reports, and then facilitates the team’s progress without dictating how their tasks should be done; a micro-manager plans and controls all the project details and the progress of his or her team.
Here are some tips on how you can transform into a leader from being a micro-manager, and how I now lead (rather than micro-manage) at Happy Brain Science:
- Autonomy – Involve your team when making choices. Being presented with a choice encourages autonomy even if the decision made is not the one that you selected. But be careful when providing too many choices; the fewer choices available, the happier we become with the selection we make.
- Relatedness – Relate to your team, build relationships, and engage in candid communication. One great way to build relatedness, and boost team success, is to ensure that each person understands why they are doing what they are doing, perhaps through regular progress reports and one-on-ones.
- Mastery – Just like playing video games, everyone starts with basic skills. But as you put in more hours playing and learning to strategize, you realize that a level that used to be difficult for you to complete becomes a breeze! Why? Because you’ve invested time and effort and mastered it–finally completing that level feels awesome afterwards, doesn’t it? Its the same thing at work. As a leader, you can help your team gain mastery with their tasks by: helping to set the right challenge (not too hard, not too easy); put an E in your SMARTEST goals; provide enough time and support for learning, and acknowledge your team’s achievements!
If you want to learn more about each of these concepts, please check out our free e-book: Gamify Your Leadership (by signing up below).
We would love to hear your stories about your positive transformation by ARMing your team for productivity and success. Thanks in advance for letting us know, we’re excited to hear how it goes!
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