As a leader, you need to drive the big-picture vision, which requires balance. You can’t be so far removed from the work that you don’t understand it, but at the same time, you can’t be so in the weeds that you lose sight of the strategy and risk micromanaging your team.
68% of employees said that working for a micromanager lowered their morale, and 55% claimed it hurt their productivity, per a recent Accountemps study. But at the same time, if you’re not up-to-date about what your team members are working on and dealing with, you can’t help them, which explains why eight out of nine complaints about leaders centered on absent behavior, according to a Harris Survey.
So, how do you find the happy medium? In a recent episode of our podcast, The Standup, we sat down with Jackie Yeaney, former CMO of Ellucian and Tableau, to get her take on reaching that golden mean of management. In the discussion, she shared some valuable leadership insights, which inspired the tips below:
Choose your priorities wisely
Determine three to five top initiatives for your team and consider using the “Big Rocks” metaphor to prioritization, which Dr. Stephen Covey popularized in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” He explains that if you try to fill a jar with sand and then add some big rocks, there won’t be any room. But if you start by putting in the rocks, you can still pour in the sand after, which will fit around the rocks. In other words, your goal as a leader is to prioritize what really matters (the rocks), like your department goals and KPIs, and fill in the rest of your time with smaller priorities (the sand.) Start by reviewing your company’s main goals and pinpoint which of your department’s activities will support those objectives. Make those your top priorities – or your “big rocks.”
Hire for your skill gaps
While it’s common to ask job candidates, “What’s your greatest weakness?”, all too often, as leaders, we forget to look inward. This is a huge missed opportunity because understanding your own weaknesses is the surest way to spot the skills and gaps that your team members need to fill. Knowing where you fall short can help you hire smart people to strengthen your team's talent and complement your personal expertise.
A key strategy here is getting a well-rounded vision of who the people are on your team (not just who they are as executors). Think about what they bring to the table, beyond what’s involved in their day-to-day roles, that you can really tap into. Also, try to keep a mental note of people’s skills that you may not need right now but will require in the future. This will help you act quickly on a project opportunity by knowing who to turn to as a resource.
Lead with trust
Once you've hired the right people, trust them to do their jobs. This doesn’t mean removing yourself entirely, but it does mean giving them the space to actually take initiative and doing your best not to micromanage every detail. In our conversation with Jackie, she shared her strategy for this, which includes picking two to four key initiatives to really involve herself. Having this focused but impactful participation ensures she stays up-to-date on industry trends and best practices and continues to learn and hone her skill set while still guiding her team members in a way that feels present and engaged.
Delegate effectively
Make an active effort to define the desired outcomes for your top priorities and create measurable goals. Then, do your best to break down responsibilities and distribute them to your team members based on their individual strengths. Consider using project management software so that you can stay in the loop on projects without constantly checking in with your team. This will help free up your time while giving your employees a sense of ownership and autonomy.
Remember to ask your team members to share regular updates to ensure you’re still in the loop and can provide constructive feedback when relevant. Doing this also enables you to give meaningful recognition and reinforce the value of their contributions.
