I have heard regularly during discussions in the many, many corporate workshops I have facilitated the following two comments:
- I hate being micromanaged.
- My manager doesn’t even know what I do.
These two comments above sum up one of the dilemmas of management and leadership – how to give people the leeway and autonomy to get on with their work and at the same time how to feel confident that the people in your team are on the right track and are effectively getting on with the job.
Is visibility an issue?
For some work it is easier to identify what is going on than others because there is obvious and clear feedback. Some examples are:
- A hairdresser colouring some-one’s hair and the colour fails or isn’t what is asked for
- Installing new equipment and it doesn’t work and there are repeated call backs
- Complaints received about poor service or rude behaviour
- Ordered and paid for goods that never arrive
For other work where there are longer preparation and lead times, such as advising, developing new products and promotional activities, this can be more complex and challenging.
Examples are:
- A team working on a long and complex project and it takes time for the challenges and issues they are facing to surface.
- Sales achievement when there is a lot of work being reported as being in the pipeline and yet sales targets aren’t met.
- People work in the field or on the road, where it can be trickier to work out what priority work is being done.
- Safety issues where standards drop over time and (luckily) no incidents have yet been reported.
- Work that requires judgement around complex issues or specialist expertise is often hard to evaluate as effective when the issues are nuanced and there are long time until results are seen.
People want to know that the manager:
- Cares about them
- Values the work they do
- Holds them accountable for achievement
- Gives them the credit they deserve.
Separating the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of the work being done
One way to think of some-one who is micromanaging is that they are overly detailed in specifying what needs to be done as well as how it needs to be done. A good manager will adapt the level of detail provided according to the experience and ability of the people in the team. For experienced staff it is useful to point out sensitivities or potential challenges that need to be considered and managed. For less experienced staff it is useful to take a developmental approach by letting the person go as far as they can and then have a progress meeting, so that they are being supported at reasonable intervals.
People want to know that the manager:
- Respects them
- Gives them reasonable autonomy in their work
- Has an interest in what they do and the challenges they face in their work.
When and how often does a manager need to check in?
A micro-manager checks in too often in respect of the work being done and the level of expertise of the team member.
As a way to do this more effectively, it can be useful to think of possible review points at each of the following stages of work:
- Actions/Key steps
- Accomplishments/Progress points and
- Milestones and completion
For less experienced people, ask them to briefly review with you at the actions/key steps stage. This avoids going too far down the wrong track and everyone being frustrated by wasted effort that could have been avoided if more detailed discussion of what was needed was had at the front of the work.
For those who are well skilled and/or taking on new projects, a helpful place to review is at the key accomplishments/progress points. This gives a reasonable degree of autonomy and sense of progress and yet provides for timely conversations and provision of support if needed.
For your experienced staff, you can ask them to check in if they face any challenges or want support and otherwise leave them complete the job. There is still room here to have the work submitted before the review date to leave time for review and revision if needed.
People want to know that the manager:
- Is there to support them
- Has the skills and resources to provide needed support
- Doesn’t set them up for failure
- Steers them towards success.
Not sure where the work is at and how the person is going?
Add the question ‘what/where specifically…’ to the conversations. All conversations are approached with curiosity and a willingness to provide support and shouldn’t sound like an inquisition. This means body language and tone of voice are very important.
The phrases could sound like:
- What specifically still needs to be done?
- Exactly where are you at with the preparation tasks? What has been completed and what still needs to be done?
- When exactly next week will you have the draft report ready for me?
- What specifically is getting in the way of you getting this done?
- Before you mix the hair colour for this client, please tell me exactly what your mix will be?
When is it monitoring and managing and when is it bullying?
Fair Work Australia says that reasonable management action that’s carried out in a reasonable way is not bullying[1]. An employer or manager can:
- make decisions about poor performance
- take disciplinary action
- direct and control the way work is carried out.
Management action that isn’t carried out in a reasonable way may be considered bullying.
This means the discussion focuses on the work and not on the person. The expectations have been made clear. People know what is expected the conversations are two-way, respectful and that reasonable resources and support to support achievement are available.
Want to support your leadership team to build a positive performance culture? Talk to Tulsi van de Graaff on or Robyn Mercer on 0408703344.
[1] https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/bullying-sexual-harassment-and-discrimination-at-work/bullying-in-the-workplace#reasonable-management-action