Stop Micromanaging and Improve Your Business Execution
For many leaders, it’s difficult to take a step back and delegate your work effectively. Especially as the founder of a company, the desire to micromanage your team members can be overwhelming. When your company started, you may have been the sole employee or one of a few. You’re often used to overseeing every single task and ensuring that things get done your way. But for lasting success, it’s important to nip micromanaging in the bud, so that your employees can maximize their professional development and you can make the most out of your time.
How to Improve Your Business Execution and Stop Micromanaging
One of the first steps to stop micromanaging is to evaluate your company’s goals and define key priorities. Figure out what actions are most important for growth, extremely time-sensitive, or essential for your company’s existence. Once you’ve identified the most important tasks, think about who’s best for the job – surprisingly, it might not be you.
Your team members likely have key skills that are better suited to certain areas of work. For instance, if one team member has a great deal of experience with web design or UI/UX, let them take the reins on managing your website. if another team member is a fantastic writer, give them more opportunities to contribute to the blog.
Consider: are you too focused on small details that your employees are better equipped to handle? Spending too much time on the nitty-gritty rather than big-picture thinking?
Take the time to think these questions over as they provide an important base point for you to figure out areas you might be managing too closely and how you can delegate effectively and improve your organization’s overall business execution.
After you’ve considered areas in which you might be micromanaging your team, it is vital to communicate with your team members. Make sure to establish a rhythm with your team. An employee feedback loop will help your team execute consistently. Find a frequency that works for you, whether that’s a daily huddle, a weekly check-in, or quarterly assessment.
Consistent communication is the key to align your team today. These activities help you gauge how your employees feel about your management style and their own workload, giving you the opportunity to step back and allow them to take on greater responsibilities.
Verne Harnish, Gazelles CEO and author of Scaling Up, explains that there are many ways to measure how your employees are doing— but it’s essential to check-in at frequent intervals to keep engagement and morale high.
During these meetings, ask them which activities they feel most comfortable taking on and where they need more assistance. If things aren’t getting done on time, check with your team on what might be holding them up and preventing them from strategic execution of individual and company tasks.
It’s also important to articulate and define key priorities for your employees since they may not be
aware of what you think is most important. Although they might be familiar with the short term goals, they may not know how the quarterly priorities line up to the yearly goals.
Misrepresentation of company goals often happens when an organization grows quickly, but steady and honest communication can align your team today and keep you on the path to success. When you align individual and company goals, you’re more likely to drive consistent growth and boost your business execution.
One great tactic at this point is to identify Key Performance Indicators or KPIs. KPIs are metrics that help you track how effectively your company and employees are meeting your objectives. By quantifying this information, you can quickly figure out what areas need improvement. You can also track your employee’s progress in real time as they measure up to your KPIs.
For more information on how to track your goals, check out our blog on 3 Steps for Business Predictability & Consistency.
Your next move is to take a step back and delegate effectively. Delegate a greater portion of your workload, and trust your employees. Give them a chance to take on activities you would normally keep for yourself.
Although things may not go perfectly or your team members might approach a task with a new style, stay open-minded and calm.
No company is perfect, and there will be mistakes along the way. By letting your employees rise to the challenge, they will learn how to take on new roles and responsibilities.
You may also find that your team members find a more efficient way to complete tasks than you would have come up with on your own. Verne Harnish suggests that how leaders delegate their workload and communicate with middle management makes the difference between a good company and a great company.
By implementing a more productive distribution of labor, you can focus on the bigger picture. When you stop micromanaging, you’ll have more time to explore your next steps for strategic business execution of company goals. This enables you to more effectively lead your team and ensure consistent growth for your company moving forward.
