2 of 3 Mistakes Most Managers Make - Micro Managing

The second post of three on the mistakes managers make from an excerpt written for CEO Russia magazine last winter.(note: you will need a translator for article) While these mistakes may seem basic, they may seem like a novice mistake, they are actually quite devastating to an organization. And, even novice to veteran managers committing them.

When these mistakes are not caught early, they can derail the best of intentions and actually send someone who has natural ability to lead, just needs some tender, mentoring care, back to the file ranks of time-clock punchers. It can be catastrophic to the human potential of our leaders.

Second mistake: micro-managing and holding things so close to the cuff that they squelch creativity and self-motivation toward desired outcome. Constant hovering, checking in, nagging, questioning and reworking the work of your team creates a real sense of apathy in all. Folks don't want to work hard if they are just going to be corrected, redone or rejected for not doing it 'right.'

One executive in an institution for higher learning was having difficulty with the direct reports being accountable to what they had committed to doing. This executive was so on edge with his key leaders within the organization because their lack of follow-through was putting him on the hook with the board of directors. When we dug into the challenges through coaching and got past the finger pointing, the core of the problem became evident. This leader realized that they were not lifting up their team to execute efficiently and effectively; in fact, they had placed such restrictions on them that they were paralyzed as a whole.

The cause, this executive was not letting go of the ‘how things get done’ and was not allowing their people to creatively solve problems together.

When this executive noticed how their own insecurities were leading to the failure of the team, it was merely putting action steps in place for course correction. We pulled the leadership team together for a retreat to clear the air, set new ground rules and working guidelines.

Several months post retreat, the team is working more cohesively, they are their own (collective) accountability force that is producing great results.

It became an environment where people no longer wait to be told exactly what to do; they are free to take lead on executing the deliverables. The team collectively looked at what refinements could be made for the overall accountability model within the organizational structure, which resulted in streamlining services, ultimately saving jobs and increasing enrollment.

Coaching Questions:

1. What has your experience been with 'micro managing?'
2. How did you course correct?
3. What environment are you creating as leader?
   
4. Who have you asked for support from to gain clarity on the reality of your managing style?
5. What is your call to action from this post today?