Micromanaging – Not Always a Bad Management Strategy

I can’t believe I just wrote these words!  After preaching for years that micromanaging staff drives people from the organization, I am now going to tell you that sometimes it is exactly what you need to do?  Well, here goes…

We usually focus on how to empower employees so that they can learn and grow but what about the times when you as a manager, need to be more closely involved in their work? What kind of balance is needed so you are sure the work is being done without stifling their creativity or enthusiasm?

Here’s an example of when you might need to be more of a micromanager—your organization is going through a huge change initiative. You’re changing strategy or going into new markets or adding a new and very different service or product.  Managers need to provide close direction until everyone involved gets where you’re headed and why.

Major organizational changes can upset even your most seasoned employee. People who are comfortable with their work and who you can almost read your mind and not need much of your oversight in normal situations, suddenly require much more of your expertise and your time so be available to them and yes, micromanage them until such time as they’re ready to step out without so much supervision.

Another example of when you need to micromanage is when a formerly excellent employee starts having trouble completing projects or misses major deadlines. You need to keep a close watch on that person’s work so that things don’t get to far out of hand. Remember, it’s your job to keep your employees on track—even when they’ve been productive in the past. 

You should step in and do your best to get things going the right direction but also take the time to counsel your employee. You may find out they have a serious health issue or problems at home that are taking them off their game. Whatever the reason is for their performance issues, you need to make sure the work gets done in a timely manner and at the highest quality level.

Consider a situation where your major client isn’t happy with the level of service they’re receiving. If this isn’t a time for micromanaging, I don’t know when it would be! You need to get right into the situation and resolve it as quickly as possible and if that means you have to be a micromanager, so be it.

After you’ve hopefully restored your organization’s relationship with the client, then find out what else you need to do to keep productivity as high as possible.

Be careful not to stay in micromanagement mode too long or you will de-motivate your team. Once the situation is resolved, we hope you can return to your supportive, coaching style. If, however, you find yourself enjoying being a micromanager when you don’t need to be, ask a trusted advisor or mentor for help.

Bottom line—short term micromanaging can be a good thing—just don’t let it be your preferred style or you may find yourself either needing to replace good employees who leave you or looking for a new job yourself!

The Gift of Rain

I sat in the green tunnel shaped by the trees in my yard, under the cover of a deck awning listening to the sounds of the rain and the birds. The rain brought a fresh smell. The birds were frolicking among the tree branches and rain drops. I’d catch a glimpse of one opening its beak and drinking in the fresh water – just like I was drinking in the tranquility of the moment.

Rain – it brings the water that sustains all living things – humans, birds, other animals and plants – plants that feed us all and allow us to thrive. A Native American man in the Southwest, where rain and water are scarce, once told me how his culture celebrated the rain when it came because rain is the source of life. 

A farmer I know once wrote that February is the month of the plow if you’re a farmer who tills the soil. Even though there is still a bit of freezing left to be done, plowed land benefits from the freezing and thawing action.  Even better is the opportunity to plow in fresh snow which has the effect of fertilizer on the land. The gift of rain – it keeps giving and helping the Earth to thrive.

Agriculture, like any other business enterprise, is challenged with issues of nurturing and sustaining resources so the business and the people who depend on it can grow and thrive. My farmer friend often writes about organic agriculture – addressing the current trend and requests for organically grown food – meat and vegetables. He laments that organic agriculture takes more time and more people, and the community of people he grew up with in the field are all gone. He has no one to pass his knowledge to. Of the many interns he has had, only one went on to farm on their own – the rest went on to work behind a desk which speaks to the actual education they received. Like any industry, good agriculture needs good people – people who understand the role that nature plays.  

Developing people so they can help a business thrive is a challenge faced by every industry. It’s such an important topic, that we devoted not a chapter, but an entire section to it in The Big Book of HR. The first step in employee development should be assessing employee development needs. This can be done through a number of methods, such as reviewing prior performance appraisals or conducting interviews and focus groups to name just a few. Next we discuss the best approaches for employee development. We explore various training approaches, mentoring, and other development methods. Coaching is so critical to employee development that we devoted an entire chapter to this topic. Finally, in our latest revised and expanded edition, we explore the emerging trends in performance management so organizations can design programs that meet their needs. 

Many of us are so fortunate to have grown in professional communities where we were surrounded with great mentors, like my farmer friend. We understand the role that people play in organizations. We need to pass that wisdom along!

Inspiring Leaders – Inspiring Teams

I am pretty sure anyone who leads people hopes that he/she is inspiring.  However, I think most of us fall short of the mark of being a truly inspirational leader.  That’s why, when someone is known for this trait dies, it’s sad

Recently, we lost legendary coach, Pat Summit. She was the long-time coach of the University of Tennessee’s women’s basketball team.  Liz Clarke of the Washington Post called her a “national treasure, enduring role model, ultimate champion.” Those are powerful words but consider this, President Obama said, “Her legacy however, is measured much more by the generations of young women and men who admired Pat’s intense competitiveness and character, and as a result found in themselves the confidence to practice hard, play harder, and live with courage on and off the court.”

Pat Summit inspired her players and others who knew her to be the best they could be.  Her boss at UT said she was “a global icon who transcended sports and spent her entire life making a difference in other people’s lives.”

Most of us don’t live our lives in the public eye or have the opportunity to coach a new group of players every few years. But we do have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people we do manage.  We can do that by really and truly listening to our employee’s wants and needs and by steering them in a direction that will set them on the path to be productive employees and good corporate citizens.

We also can provide our employees with the best possible development opportunities to maximize their potential—even if it means they leave us and move on to another department or organization. An inspirational leader models courageous behavior and encourages employees to take calculated risks because he/she knows that’s how people learn and grow.  An inspiration leader believes in people and lets them know they have total support.

Pat Summit was loved by the women who played for her. She was admired by the coaches her teams competed with.  She was respected by professional athletes, parents, and world leaders.  I love what she wrote to one of her players in 1982:

“Winning is fun…Sure but winning is not the point.  Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never giving up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point. The game is never over. No matter what the scoreboard reads, or what the referee says, it doesn’t end when you come off the court. The secret of the game is in doing your best. To persist and endure, ‘to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.’”

Now, that’s inspirational!  Thank you, Pat Summit!

Joining the Team

At home, work or on an actual sports team, working as a team provides opportunities for learning a variety of people and relationship skills. One of those skills is to pay attention to and remember that when a new person becomes part of a group or team they typically have mixed emotions. On one hand there is excitement regarding newness and at the same time there are unknowns that raise questions, concerns and fears. So, when an individual joins your team, create ways to give care, support and special attention to the experience of assimilation.

Welcoming, orientation and support: Make a big deal of the arrival of the new team member. Prepare the new hire’s office or workspace in special ways. Start by making sure their space is clean, comfortable and inviting. A welcome sign, a plant or flowers give the message, “We are glad you are here.”  On the first day, have a brief welcome gathering with the entire team to introduce the new team member.

Be thorough with your orientation. Have a plan for the first few weeks to systematically cover the areas of your facility, products and the functional groups of your organization. Walk them through all of the customer contact points of how your business works.

Create support activities and systems. Here are some examples:

·       Have a brief meeting at the beginning and/or end of the day of the first two weeks to check signals and give supportive direction.

·       Designate one or two folks to be a buddy or mentor for the first month.

·       Be available and create your own unique way to take time to listen and hear their questions, concerns and ideas.

A 90-day plan of coaching and training, and a “360 degree” evaluation: Have a plan and process to provide specific information, resources and educational opportunities during the first 90 days. Ask how things are going. Adequate and personalized coaching, training and evaluation are critical during this time. “The Big Book of HR” suggest an Assimilation Evaluation at 30 days, a focused Check-in meeting for sharing issues at 60 days and a Performance Evaluation at 90 days.  As possible, make the sharing of feedback, checking in and evaluation an all level and direction (360 degree) give and take opportunity.

Most of all, make sure the whole team gets to know each other. Make the most of this joining the team phase. Just as with every customer, from the first time they step through your door, do all you can to establish a long-term personal and professional relationship. If you keep “long-term relationship building” foremost in your mind, heart and in all of your interactions – success, satisfaction and a growing profitable business will be yours.

At work, home and in the community, in any context “think team.” We are in a time and age of cooperation, coordination and collaboration. Be an intentional team!

Thank you Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem for all the valuable insights in your book.

And our thanks to Bernie Linnartz, of Empowerment Experts for his series based on The Big Book of HR.  This first appeared in Taos News in March 31, 2016.