Connecting with your team: how to stay informed

Are you more of a micro-management or macro-management type? No matter what your natural style is, the real question is: how do you maintain a connection with his team that is real, without controlling everything? And how comfortable are you with delegating?

My style? I have always sought a balance between the two extremes. Over the years, my style has evolved thanks to my personal journey, my training, my colleagues, my employees and my bosses. My desire to improve has made me a better manager, year after year.

In this article, I share with you two concrete dilemmas that I have experienced, and the tricks that have worked for me.

Dilemma 1: Connecting with your team

As a manager, you need to be informed about what’s going on. However, the very nature of your role is not to be on the floor. You need to know the records, but you are not responsible for making them. It’s the classic paradox of connecting with your team.

Mintzberg sums it up well: bring the rungs together. Raise the base or lower the top.

Options to strengthen the connection with your team

There are many ways to stay connected to the reality of your field: reduce the number of rungs, go out into the field to understand, involve employees in decisions, or create a real relationship with your team. Which option are you missing the most right now?

What worked for me

Here are the things that worked well in my context:

• The daily tour. Every day, I would go around the teams to say hello, ask questions, and discuss informally, even formal topics. Combined with a blocked agenda, this is extremely effective.
• The survey every 4-6 weeks. Take the pulse of the team regularly, without waiting for a problem to explode.
• Return communication. Share the results of the survey with the team, answer questions, make the status of current files. It creates a circle of trust.
• Strategic involvement. When possible, I involved people in the decisions. And I always explained the why—not to justify myself, but to give context and impacts for everyone.

You may be thinking that it takes time. Yes. But you have it, this time, if you decide to take it.

I have always seen my leadership role as building the foundation and leading. Navigating the short, medium and long term at the same time. Seeing all aspects and intervening in several files has always motivated me. Without ever forgetting that my role was management.

Reflection questions

• How are you staying connected to your team right now?
• Is there a connection practice that you could set up this week?
• Do you communicate enough about the “why” of your decisions?

Dilemma 2: Delegate through the connection with your team

How do you delegate when a lot of the information is verbal, personal or confidential? The manager knows that he or she must share information, but does not always know how. And sometimes he just doesn’t want to give it away — out of lack of confidence, desire for control, or habit.

My opinion on this: contribute to something bigger than yourself, and you can only be greater.

Another classic obstacle to delegation: “It will be better done if I do it myself!” With that, I offer you this quote:

Alone, we go faster. As a team, we go further.

And if you’re a manager, do management — not operations. I know that the transition from an expert role to a management role can be difficult. Go gradually. Start delegating. To delve deeper into the subject, the articles Successfully Delegate and Delegate Without Risk give you concrete tools.

The benefits of communicating at all levels

When the connection with your team is well established and the delegation follows, the results are tangible: better decision-making at all levels, more mobilization, an organizational culture that moves forward, less collateral damage management, and much less stress for you. You move out of savior or firefighter mode and into a guide role.

My tips for better delegation

• Make your key people ambassadors. Start with them. Train them to deliver the results you expect them to be, and then ask them to mentor other projects.
• Delegate the least risky files first. There is no need to start with the most political issue. Build trust gradually.
• Delegate part of a folder. You don’t have to give up all at once. Start with a song.
• Team up. Invite members of your team to certain meetings so they understand the context. Context and vision are critical to the success of a case.

To go further on the courage it takes to delegate, the training in managerial courage addresses this dimension among five other concrete axes.

Reflection questions

• To whom could you delegate a first file this week?
• What really holds you back from delegating: lack of trust, desire for control, or lack of time to train?
• How could you better share the context of your cases with your team?

Connection and delegation: two sides of the same coin

The connection with his team and the delegation are not two separate subjects. One feeds the other. The more connected you are to your team, the more confidently you can delegate. And the more you delegate, the more time you have to stay connected to what really matters.

That’s what it’s all about, finding your management style. Not micro, not macro. Yours.

FAQ — Connecting with your team

How do you stay connected to your team without micromanaging?
By creating light and regular rituals: an informal daily round, a survey every 4-6 weeks, and feedback on the results. The objective is to be present without controlling. The article manager without micromanagement goes into more depth on this subject.

Why is it difficult to delegate in management?
The most common obstacles are a lack of trust in the team, the fear of losing control, and the belief that it will be better done yourself. The key: start small, build trust gradually, and always share context.

What is the difference between micro-management and macro-management?
The micro-manager controls every detail and delegates little. The macro-manager gives the guidelines and lets his team find how to get there. Both have their limits. The best style is one that adapts to the situation and the people.

Not micro, not macro. Find your own style. The one who connects and liberates.