Managing for Success: Knowing When to Step Back and When to Get Involved
Navigating the Delicate Dance of Managerial Involvement
Have you ever wondered what makes a great manager? Is it someone who gives their employees total freedom to work with minimal supervision or someone who gets involved in every aspect of their work?
While many may agree that micromanaging is not the way to go, there's so much more to being a successful manager than hoping that empowerment alone gets people to do what is ideal and desirable. That's where context and timing come in—it's all about knowing when to be hands-on and when to step back. At the end of this reading, you will get much more clarity on how to strike that perfect balance!
It's critical to understand that either extreme can interfere with your and your company's success, like attempting open-heart surgery with a butter knife.
Unfortunately, not all employees are equal. For instance, you could have employees to whom you can delegate tasks without nudging. And one of the management tasks is distinguishing between the ones who can perform effectively independently and those who require constant monitoring and encouragement to complete their tasks. Furthermore, treating everyone's capabilities equally on your team without any guidance is like giving a toddler a loaded gun and saying, 'Good luck!'
Approaching the Risk-Takers on Your Team
If they are entrepreneurs, supervision might help, but they will not need you or anybody else to nudge them along to take risks and exploit opportunities. Spotting whom you can trust with which tasks and resources and whom you can't lead with empowerment alone is the skill of a great manager.
After an employee has demonstrated some degree of independence and the skill to carry out a task without direct supervision, a great manager should invest in them. You not only retain such workers by providing them with autonomy and trust, but you also inspire them to reach new heights of productivity and innovation.
Approaching Employees Who Need Nudging
Now, we can talk about the employee you cannot empower (this does not mean you will never empower them). But this employee is an employee because they need someone to build a structure for them and nudge them. It does not mean they do poor-quality work; they rely on somebody else's willingness and a clear sense of urgency to assist them in completing their tasks.
The ups and downs of life distract this person, or they may be having a hard time at home, or they may be focused on something else they're trying to accomplish, or perhaps their mind is somewhere else. We don't know why they cannot complete things independently, but they need extra supervision.
It's a Matter of Learning to Judge Rather Than Viewing Everything as Either-Or
Regarding attitude, many people like to have only two options: something is either right or wrong, black or white. But the truth is that things are often gray, grayer, gray-white, or closer to black, but these are judgments. Being able to decide whom you empower is a judgment that you cultivate through years of experience interacting with people.
You get a sense of their ability to either do something or not be able to do something, and you can certainly make decisions based on your observations, what you've seen, and your experience. And you will need to cultivate this judgment if you are to be a great manager.
The moral of the story is simple: One certainly cannot use binary-valued logic, meaning either
(yes)or(no)or(right)and(wrong), regarding managing a group of individuals for success.
One needs to evaluate each individual on competence and merit and plan the work based on this assessment. You will get to perform the management function effectively when you start observing, assessing, planning, and allocating resources accordingly.
Lastly, by acknowledging the nuances of management, we can have a more constructive conversation about how to lead teams effectively. Rather than focusing on strict categories of good and bad, we can explore how different approaches might be appropriate depending on the circumstances. Ultimately, great managers should be able to adapt their style to meet their employees' needs and the organization's objectives.
→ What do you think are some practical ways to evaluate the competence and merit of individuals in a team? How can we foster a culture of adaptability in management styles? Let's continue the conversation on how to be great managers by sharing our experiences and insights. Your thoughts and ideas are welcome!
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