You’re Limiting Your Company – Why you need to shy away from micromanagement
Are you a micromanager? Do you know the difference between supervising your employees’ productivity and breathing down their necks to make sure they get their work done?
It can be hard to strike a balance between micromanaging and being too hands off. After all, as a manager, you’re in charge of keeping everyone on task and making sure deadlines are met. How can you do it without overdoing it?
Here are half dozen tips from members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), who have plenty of experience with running the show:
1. Establish Weekly Meetings
“I meet with my team members once a week to discuss progress over the past week and projects for the next week. We work together to discuss priorities and deadlines. We keep the projects short, taking no longer than 1-2 weeks each, so each team member can always see the finish line. With this approach, I always know what everyone is working on, but don’t need to get involved on a day-to-day basis.” ~ Bhavin Parikh, Magoosh, Inc.
2. Create Mutual Goals
“The only way your employees will take ownership of the goals they are set to achieve is if they play a major part in coming up with them. Always set goals together with your direct reports. Never provide them with a list of goals you feel are “reasonable” and then ask them to go execute them. This will always yield better results and minimize your desire to micromanage.” ~ Warren Jolly, Affiliate Media, Inc.
3. Don’t Forget to Make It Fun!
“Once the goals are in place, make and keep the journey fun! A startup is stressful, but if everyone is having fun while being reminded of deadlines and goals, it is a more enjoyable and productive journey.” ~ Nancy T. Nguyen, Sweet T
4. Share Information
“For almost everything we do, there is a corresponding ‘how-to’ Google document that our team has access to. We generate a step-by-step process that includes how much time each step should take, the tools we use to complete it, and plenty of examples. That way, we don’t have as many little mistakes in the process that would require micromanagement.” ~ Caitlin McCabe, Real Bullets Branding
5. Keep Your Team Small
“Micromanagement tends to happen when people don’t have enough to do. If your team is only as big as it needs to be, you’ll have less time to micromanage. Also, with a smaller group, the team will be easier to keep on task. So stay small and you’ll cultivate a lean, mean, productivity machine.” ~ Wade Foster, Zapier
6. It’s About the Destination, Not the Journey
“In some instances, you need to have a process repeated to exact specifications. But in many other situations, the journey doesn’t matter as much as the destination. In those cases, give your team members a specific goal and deadline, but let the way to achieve that goal allow them to use their creativity. This gets you results, but keeps you from micromanaging.” ~ Elizabeth Saunders, Real Life E®
One thing that doesn’t change in the supply chain industry is the need for skilled employees. Contact ZDA if you want more information on finding, hiring or managing the best in the business!