I use to work in an office before becoming a home-based business owner. I led several teams of programmers, quality assurance technicians, testers, and the like through developing software programs. As a leader, part of my job was to leverage the skills of individual team members, so that I could make the most effective use of my time and theirs. The skills I used to manage my software development team also apply whether you are a manager in a company, building a team in your network marketing opportunity, organizing extracurricular activities for your kids, or helping coordinate your favorite charity’s fund raiser.
There are two basic styles of managing others: empowerment management and micromanagement. Knowing how and when to use these is critical to having a successful, cohesive, effective and happy team.
Empowerment management is when you tell someone what needs to be done, and then let them come up with their own solutions to complete the task. When you empower that person to make their own decisions, it will allow you to focus your efforts on other activities. For some people, this can be nerve-racking, since you have to place a certain degree of trust in someone else’s ability to get the task completed.
Micromanagement is when you tell someone not only what to do, but HOW to do it. An extreme micromanager is one who constantly looks over everyone’s shoulder and provides detailed directions. This has led to the belief that micromanagement is generally evil. And to be sure, many people loathe being micromanaged. On the other hand, many need it to some degree and, believe it or not, will appreciate it.
Both of these styles are on opposite ends of a management continuum. Many people manage others at the same place on the continuum, regardless of the person’s skills. To be truly effective, you must manage each of the people on your team INDIVIDUALLY along the continuum BETWEEN these two extremes. Micromanage to too much detail, and people will resent you for meddling in what they consider to be their affairs. Provide too much empowerment (i.e. less direction), and you will be labeled as having no leadership abilities. But just remember, this is based on each person’s individual perspective. Some will need to be managed closer to the empowerment side, and some will need to be managed closer to the micromanagement side.
Follow these steps to tailor your management style to the needs of your team members:
- Start in the middle of the continuum with each of your team members. Let them know what you want accomplished and give them some ideas about how to proceed, but don’t be too specific on how to complete the task. Basically, just nudge them in the right direction.
- Get regular feedback. Be sure to keep reasonably close contact with them, just enough so that you know what’s going on. Your purpose is to see how each person performs at the current management level. Do they have a plan for completing the tasks you gave them? Are they complaining about feeling overwhelmed with the task? Do they lack a sense of direction? Did they finish sooner than you expected? Did they do the task thoroughly?
- Where necessary, either move toward the empowerment side or toward the micromanagement side. If someone has shown that they can determine on their own how to accomplish a task, then you can move toward empowerment management with that person. In other words, give them less direction next time, and see how they perform. If someone complains of being overwhelmed by a task, has no idea of how to implement the task, or does not complete the task thoroughly, then you will need to move toward the micromanagement side with that person. In other words, give them more specific direction next time.
- Continue to repeat steps two and three. Eventually, you will find the proper management style for each person on your team. Be aware of the types of projects and tasks you are giving to people, as this can also affect to what degree they need to be managed. Someone who performs well with empowerment on one project may need to be micromanaged on a project that is completely new to them.
If you don’t manage your team members to their specific skill level, you will cause them stress. And when they are stressed, they will start under-performing and they will not view you as a very good leader. Help them succeed by managing them in the proper place on the management continuum. Ultimately, by doing so, they will will help you succeed, and everyone will be happy!
