10 WAYS TO GIVE LEADERSHIP AND GUIDIANCE WITHOUT MICROMANAGING

To Micromanage refers to, managing with excessive detail or completely taking control of every part of a project or something placed under your jurisdiction. As a leader, there is every tendency that you would impose your opinions on your subjects, trying to ‘make them better’ when in the actual sense, you are reshaping them to suit your taste and flawless expectations. This creates identity crisis, since they lose sight of what makes them unique and instead, they want to become the perfect image you have created for them. Ultimately, they are caught somewhere in-between and it becomes a whole lot of identity complications.

Here are ten ways to give leadership and guidance without micromanaging:

Trust them to get the job done.

Your duty as a leader is to motivate your team to produce their best work consistently. As a leader, when there is a job to be done, you begin by creating the mind-power to do the job; this can be done in a two-minute morale-boosting speech, then you have to trust them to get the job done. There is a learning curve to every job. So, it is essential to monitor them, at first, to ensure they are clear about what is required on the job. Thereafter, you should trust them to get the job done.

Every action of the lives of your followers should not need your approval

As a leader (especially if you have a very captivating charisma), it is likely your followers would subject all of their opinions to your approval before carrying it out. This might seem cool at a point, but the idea of leadership is not to give them the fish, it is to teach them how to get their own fish. Independence is essential if they are to survive when you’re gone.

Stop sticking out for too frequent status reports

Checking up on your followers and asking about updates on previously discussed issues is not bad at all. But trying to be the alpha and omega of their day is not right. Truly, it’s not about giving them complete autonomy. But you should not overwhelm them with your presence to the point it becomes burdensome.

Delegation is your best friend

Each person has a unique talent and personality that makes him special. Delegating responsibilities not only teaches accountability amidst many other things, it also gives your followers the chance to be themselves and follow your guidance easily.

Refrain from extreme specificity

Giving clear advices and your opinion on a matter is important. But your instructions as a leader should not be too detailed. There should be room for your team to explore their problem-solving skills and find new ways to approach the challenge. 

Authoritative leadership is a no-no

Authoritative leaders receive minimal contributions from their followers. They don’t care much about the ideas of their subjects and would only want their followers to live by their instructions. Great leaders listen to the inputs of others and implement their contributions to a final result.

Do not overburden them.

If your followers are not living up to expectation, it could be a sign that you are micromanaging their lives. It coils in from lack of motivation due to an overburdening leader. Trust me, no one wants a control-freak for a leader.

Call for less meetings

Your team should not be meeting except need be. The desire to show who’s in charge might make you call for unnecessary meetings. Give them time to do their routine and be themselves. 

Be strategic in your planning

Instead of wasting your time engaging in everyone’s business, why not take out some time to think about the future and how you want your subjects to get there. The idea of being a leader is that you are ahead, and you can predict what the future will be like. The challenges that will be met and how they can go about overcoming them.

Be open to change.

Many years ago, we didn’t have the high-tech devices as we do now. A lot of things have changed, and many more things will as time goes on. The fear of change and the fact that it might relieve you of your position will make you step on anyone that sprouts up with creative ideas. That, unfortunately, is not the attribute of a great leader. You must be ready to embrace change.