I don’t micro-manage…!

Is this you? Do you take pride in this fact? You probably had a boss who micro-managed you and you vowed never to do that to your people. 25 years ago, I worked for an incredibly visionary leader to whom my highest praise was, “You gave me enough rope to swing on but not enough on which to hang myself.” None of us want to feel the boss breathing down our neck and judging us at every turn.

 

However… (you knew that was coming). Ask yourself honestly if any of the following might also be true:

 

• You play traffic cop often- your people come to you with questions about priorities and workload management
• You spend a lot of time resolving conflicts and disputes between your people
• People are confused about their role or responsibility
• Your team is totally aligned with each other- in their concerns about you

 

A successful team leader does not micro-manage. You are right. But if the sum total of your success is based on what you don’t do….well—you know it is not enough.

 

A successful team leader actively builds the collective capacity of the team

 

A few more questions:

 

1.  Do you regularly bring your people together to take the pulse of the group as a whole? To think together?
2. Do you have agreed upon ways of working and acknowledged strategies for when things don’t work?
3. Do you have protocols for handling conflict?
4. Do you have tools for creating alignment among the group?

If you answered no to any of these, or if you are not sure what I am talking about the email me. Today’s leaders need to be able to form teams that are inspired, resilient, and collaborative and results oriented.

 

Don’t you want to be one?