Do you have these kinds of thoughts and questions: how do you be a present manager without falling into micromanagement? If I am present with my team and ask questions about the progress of files, will I be perceived as a micro-manager? At the same time, my team is not developing the autonomy I want… I see that they need help, but I don’t want to interfere too much… What can you do to avoid falling into micromanagement, while being present?
The right posture can seem complex to find and assume. On the one hand, you have to ensure presence and availability, and on the other hand, you have to leave space.
Here are some tips to help you find the right posture for you, between presence and distance.
First, let’s agree on a significant need for presence. The more you want to develop leaders, the more you need to be there as a guide or facilitator, not as a dictator or micro-manager.
Let’s also understand that leaving too much space without supervision brings more negative than positive.
An absent manager is not recognized for giving autonomy, he is recognized for being absent. Sooner or later, this will damage its credibility.
My clients all want more autonomous teams.
One way of thinking that I observe is to let people learn on their own. It’s a bit like with children, we let them “do their experiments”. But if your child still doesn’t make it after weeks, a broken leg and two broken bikes, are you going to leave them alone, or are you going to coach them a bit? 😊
There is a moment when someone has to teach us techniques and coach us so that we can become better.
The problem with presence
The problem with being present is that you can be tempted to fix problems too quickly, be a little “impatient” and want things to move forward. We then abandon the coaching leadership style in favor of a more directive style.
This is normal. If you’re in your position, it’s probably because you have strengths in problem solving, decision-making, and you like to progress.
The work to be a present manager without falling into micro-management is first and foremost a work on yourself.
Here’s what you can do to be a present manager without falling into micromanagement
#1: Get closer to your team
Get closer to your team so that you understand the reality and not be disconnected from the field. The best leaders are as tactical as they are strategic. They understand the reality of their team as well as that of the market and can thus be more agile.
Concretely, ask questions about what is going well and what is not going so well. Find out about people’s frustrations, and also about what absolutely must not be changed.
Do you want to take action on something? Don’t necessarily talk about it. Act as a role model.
Like what:
- Is your team late to the games? Always be on time. You don’t have to make comments or reprimands, just be on time.
- Your team is not organized during the meetings, have this rigor. Arrive prepared, manage the meeting to demonstrate the importance of everyone’s time and reframe as needed. (For tips on meeting management, there are several articles on the blog and online training content.)
In other words, your presence will be felt in listening, in action and in interaction, not by saying what to do.
After a few games, no change in the level of delay? Ask the group: What makes this meeting always start late? What justifies the lack of preparation? What is the added value of the meeting? What would happen if the meeting was not scheduled?
By having a discussion of this type, leads should emerge and then be picked up by the team.
It is good to generate healthy questions to get out of ingrained habits and methods of functioning. why processes and ways of working.
And as a leader, director or team leader, you are the best people to start these discussions. Especially if no one does!
This will demonstrate your presence: you will be present in situations and take charge of them without managing them in a directive way, but rather by questioning your team and making them aware of the elements to be improved.
Obviously, if no one moves, it’s up to you to manage priorities! 😊
#2: Speak Last
When a problem arises that is not an extreme emergency, instead of jumping in and solving the problem, ask everyone for their opinion, what they would do, and speak last.
Most leaders have a certain poise when they speak. As a result, people will tend to listen to what they say without asking too many questions. So, listen first and speak last. You will be present, without giving the perception of micro-managing.
If you want to have some ideas for communication, there is this article on the 10 essentials and self-training on communication.
#3: Connect people with each other
Rather than being the central core, send people back to each other to help each other and share their knowledge. When a leader adopts the posture that creates high-performing teams, he or she can go on vacation with complete zenitude, and not be impacted too negatively when one of the members of the management or management team leaves the organization.
Your presence here will serve to connect people with each other or facilitate encounters, not to solve and dictate what to do.
In order not to fall into micro-management, the manager presently sees, hears, acts without necessarily doing things by himself.
#4: Discuss with all levels of the organization
What I’m noticing more and more is a need for RAPID transformation of organizations. Currently, the transformation model is mostly TOP-DOWN, i.e. the transformation comes from the leaders, who in turn bring down the new ways of doing things.
In the current context, this approach is risky and quite slow.
The problem with a TOP-DOWN transformation strategy is that it is based on the capacity and pace of personal transformation of the management teams. This type of transformation can take years and is risky in a world of labour shortages with high turnover.
Imagine that a manager leaves. We will have to start again to get a new director to join, who already has a background, etc. Versus having a strong multi-level culture that naturally filters out inconsistent behavior in the organization.
In my leadership role, I spent as much time talking to my fellow managers, going out into the field with the teams, traveling to learn about other organizations and the market, and offering help.
Managers closer to operations, including some directors, had more difficulty making time to work “on” the team rather than “in” the team. This can be learned and requires good priority management, knowing how to surround yourself with people and then letting go of what needs to be done to other people (delegating!).
In conclusion
Being a manager present in your organization does not mean being a micro-manager. It is a question of being present to the issues, to the strategy, to raise the flags at the right time and to ensure that the priorities are clear.
It’s about building a culture that doesn’t just rely on you and your leadership team.
We are talking more about a communication strategy, follow-ups and a different management posture, than about someone who solves problems directly.
More like a facilitator of situations and a communicator of priorities, while judiciously supervising the members of your team, because you don’t let your boat sink!
Also, this type of management will require you to take the time to get to the source of the problems. Refreshing, isn’t it?
And above all, this type of management will be an ally for the sustainability of your organization.