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6. Losing track of what’s going on? Monitor progress appropriately. It’s important to strike a
balance between keeping track of progress and constantly looking over someone’s shoulder. Do you
need to monitor the progress of a task? There may be times when a well-communicated and
delegated task doesn’t need to be routinely monitored by you. Where it is important that you stay
connected with progress, agree to the approach up front. For example, set checkpoints: every
Monday; after each 10% is complete; by milestones such as completion of a first draft. Monitor
progress to support better performance, not to control.

7. Micromanaging? Give people freedom to perform. Immerse yourself in others’ work? Always
correcting tiny details? Take over tasks before they’re finished? Like to be in control? Insist that
people go through you for decisions? These are all signals that you could be micromanaging.
Disempowering people. Slowing progress. Hampering creativity and innovation. It’s OK (and
important) to give people clear direction on what needs to be achieved and by when. But then step
aside and give them the freedom to perform. Invite them to figure out how to achieve the result in
their own way. People are more motivated when they can determine the how for themselves.
Micromanagers include the how, which turns people into task automatons instead of empowered and
energized staff. Give them leeway. Encourage them to try things, correct their own mistakes. Resist
jumping in and taking over just because things aren’t being done the way you’d do them. Be
approachable, but not intrusive. Intervene only when agreed-upon criteria are not being followed or
expectations are not being met. Let people finish their work. Your role in directing work is to get
results through people, not for people.

8. Overwhelming others? Help them take control. When you’re directing work through others, be
conscious of not pushing people so hard that they feel out of control. This can lead to stress and
anxiety. If you sense that someone is feeling overwhelmed, talk to them. Find the cause. Volume of
work, pressure to get things right, lack of confidence, or something else? Whatever the cause, it’s
important to support the person to take control rather than overstretch them, which can make them
feel even more overwhelmed. If they have too much, take something away. If they lack confidence or
don’t know where to start, work with them. Express confidence in their ability. Describe the skills that
led you to assign them the task. Encourage them to focus on what they can do and eliminate negative
self-talk. Help them see how they can break down whole tasks into a series of smaller chunks.
Support them in finding and achieving some quick wins. Don’t micromanage. Stay on the sidelines,
but be there to support and guide. Give lots of praise and recognition as well as consistent feedback
as they make progress. Do all you can to help them take control and do a great job.

9. Expect others to completely go it alone? Intervene appropriately. There are all sorts of obstacles
that can get in the way of people making progress. Red tape, organizational politics, hierarchy,
disagreements, being overloaded. Sometimes they’ll be able to overcome the obstacles without your
intervening and sometimes they won’t. Don’t let your people sink or swim by being too hands-off.
Judge when it is appropriate to step in. Not sure how? Foster regular two-way communication with
people. This will help you detect early warning signs of problems before they become serious. Ask
them how they plan to clear the obstacle. If they have the resources, great—encourage them. If they
don’t and the obstacle is slowing down or impeding effectiveness, it’s time for you to step in. Respond
quickly. This may mean using your positional power to get what’s needed from the organization,
negotiating for resources, redistributing work. Let people know that you consider it your job to remove
obstacles to performance and be available for troubleshooting.

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