The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Micromanagement is a fairly widespread practice, which has the effect of killing trust between team members and managers/Leaders. Workers will not trust a leader who does not trust them either, making employees feel like they are under the constant scrutiny of their performance. This lack of trust leads to lower productivity and high absenteeism rates. Workers who are micromanaged will lose confidence in their own abilities to perform well on the job.
Do not micromanage. Encourage managers to delegate work to their team and support team members who take initiative on new ideas. [The rules]
Balance giving freedom with being available for advice. One Googler described how a manager empowered her team: “She lets people run with ideas, but knows when to step in and offer advice to not pursue a failing issue.”
Make it clear they trust their team. Suggest that managers give team members the authority to make decisions on their projects without constant check-ins. Avoiding the pitfalls of micromanagement can help build a culture of trust and accountability within a team.
Advocate for the team in the wider organization. Encourage managers to share their team’s accomplishments with their own managers and beyond.
The most effective managers usually realize that they work for their teams and not the other way around.
Adapt, assess, and collaborate
It can be difficult for a manager to find the right balance when supporting a team member. Too much oversight might feel like micromanagement; too little might set them up for failure. And this balance might change over time as a team member’s skills evolve. Managers don’t have to be mind readers to get this right. Google has found that discussing support levels with a team member can help to calibrate the manager.
To prepare for this discussion about how much support is appropriate, Google encourages managers to ask themselves these questions:
I- Assess: What is the capability and motivation of the team member who is going to be working on the task?
II- Adapt: What type of management style will be most effective for this team member?
III- Collaborate: What type of support will this team member need to complete the task successfully? Will the support come from you, or other team members?
Delegate effectively
Delegating the right projects to the right team members can be tough. The research team found that delegating, or giving authority, responsibility, and decision-making control to an individual or a team is a behavior of high-scoring managers. Google uses these delegation tips to help managers scope work for delegation, support their team members, and follow through to ensure completion and recognition:
Look at the goals. What is the final objective and what results are needed to achieve it? What parts can be delegated?
Look at yourself. What tasks can’t you delegate, and why? Which tasks play to your own strengths and weaknesses?
Recognize the right person for the work. Who has the right skills to do the work? How might this task help them develop?
Delegate. Have a conversation with the delegate:
- Give an overview of the work, including the importance of the assignment, the resources at hand, and why you have chosen the delegate.
- Describe the details of the new responsibility.
- Define the scope of the role, and set performance standards and intended results.
- Set clear expectations but avoid prescribing how the assignment should be completed.
- Solicit questions, reactions, and suggestions. Make this a dialogue.
- Listen to the delegate’s comments and respond empathetically.
- Make sure they understand what is expected of them.
- Share how this impacts the team. Help establish priorities and relieve some of the pressure by getting someone else to share some of the delegate’s routine tasks for the duration of the assignment.
- Make sure to notify those affected by the delegatee’s new project as well.
- Be encouraging. Express confidence in the delegate’s ability.
- Establish checkpoints, results, deadlines, and ways to monitor progress. The entire discussion should be a collaborative process.
- Stay in touch. Keep in contact with the delegatee and observe the checkpoints you agreed to at the outset.
- Remember, delegating means letting go.
- Recognize and reward. Acknowledge the delegate for the successful completion of the assignment.
Empower your team and build trust
In the case study conducted by Oxygen, the group demonstrated that the most successful Leaders empower their teams and avoid micromanagement.
Leaders are encouraged to trust their teams:
Ask for feedback. Ask your team to be part of the decision-making process.
Ask for their ideas and perception. Also, ask how you can improve your style to be more effective.
Support with positive feedback. Give team members positive recognition and feedback when they are effective, especially when they take on a leadership role and are successful.
Develop leaders. Delegate systems and tasks to team members and give them authority over specific systems.
This gives them a sense of value within the association. Assign systems to high-performing team members and make them leaders for individual tasks. This will not only help lighten your own workload but also give your team members the opportunity to shine. Stretch the abilities of each team member. Find ways to help each member of the team grow and contribute using their strengths. Assign tasks that will allow your team members to grow and take on new responsibilities.
This can motivate them, as it indicates that you think they are valuable and competent.
- Explain why they’ve been given this task and let them know “what’s in store for them.” mentor your team members.
2. Focus on guiding them to success. Help them realize not only team or company demands but also their specific professional demands.
3. Find out where they want to be in the next few times, even five times, and give them the tools they need to grow and succeed.
4. Encourage open communication. Be sure to easily communicate your assumptions, systems, and ideas, and encourage your team members to do the same.
5. Establish a playing field where team members are comfortable giving feedback and feel free to experiment with new ideas.
6. Encourage your team members to help brainstorm conditioning and praise them for their feedback. Show that you trust your team members.
7. Give them the quantum of authority they need to complete the design without checking every detail with you.
