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Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…

Ashkenas, R. (2011, November 15). Why people micromanage. Harvard Business Review Blog
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Corley, J. (2012, April 20). 10 Ways to help employees feel less overwhelmed. Business
Management Daily.
Reh, F. J. (n.d.). Employee coaching: When to step in. About Management.

Wile, E. (n.d.). How to give orders to your employees. Chron.

10. Giving too much or too little direction? Flex your approach. Different people need and want
different levels of direction. You can judge what’s appropriate by understanding their current levels of
capability and confidence. Think of people as broadly being in one of three categories. First, there are
those who are highly capable of doing the task and confident in their ability. These are the people to
delegate to. Overdirect these people and you’ll stifle them. Second are those who are capable of
doing the work but perhaps lack confidence in their ability. Provide more support. Give a little more
direction on how to approach the task while encouraging them to come up with suggestions
themselves. Ask questions to facilitate their thinking. Reinforce good suggestions. Third are the
people who are highly motivated to do a great job but lack capability to do so independently. They
come across as confident because they don’t yet know what they don’t know. These people need lots
of direction. Without it, they are at risk of going off in the wrong direction, making unnecessary
mistakes. Neglect to give these people direction and you set them up to fail. Talk to your people. Find
out what they need, then give it to them.

11. Playing favorites? Match people to work. Be candid with yourself. Do you have a favored few
people to whom you always assign work? People you trust with the important stuff? Or you don’t
really stop to consider—is this the best person for the job? Do you avoid working with people not like
you or who make you uncomfortable? If so, you’re unlikely to be treating people fairly or getting the
most from them. Those you’re excluding will become demotivated and those you favor will become
overloaded. Either way, you’re not distributing the work as effectively as you could be. Turn off your
judgment program. Get to know people based on their level of skill, ability, and areas of expertise.
Use what you know about them at this level to assign work. Balance the size and complexity of the
task(s) with the capability of the person. Include everyone in the process so you can be sure you get
the best possible fit. Become a master at matching people to work.

12. Things go off track when you’re away? Empower others. Give others enough information,
direction, and authority to get work done in your absence. Who is acting as your deputy when you’re
unavailable? Who has decision-making authority? To what level? Where do people go for support?
Make sure everyone involved in the work understands not only their individual responsibilities but also
how they fit into the greater purpose. Edward Lawler (1992) suggests that an understanding of the
organization’s mission is critical for empowerment. The sense of meaning it creates enables people to
align decisions with the goals and purpose of the organization. It keeps things on the right track. That
people are pulling in the same direction. Work on creating a shared mindset—a climate that
encourages team members to support each other while you’re away. In the words of Lau Tzu, “When
the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”

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