Delicate Balance

I know that I have written much about micro-managing. I usually like to write about what I have witnessed or experienced first hand. Ever think of the opposite of micro-managing? There is a term for it… I had to look it up because for all my years working for Intel – I never experienced an extreme case of macro-managing.

DEFINITION of ‘Macro Manager’

A boss or supervisor who lets employees do their jobs with minimal supervision. Macro managers are thought of by some employees as superiors who do not give them enough support or feedback to do their jobs effectively, while others may be glad to be trusted and left alone. A macro manager is the opposite of a micro manager, a supervisor who constantly looks over employees’ shoulders and is often perceived as controlling and overly critical.

You don’t hear too much about the “macro-manager” – why is that? Because the staff who work for a macro-manager don’t want to ruin a good thing. The boss is always gone, too busy to really pay attention, rarely looks over the details and may vaguely set expectations (or holds you accountable) is not a bad boss to work for in the short term. Long term, well that is a different story. Your career and skills will rot away.

Both are bad. Micro-managers make people less productive and makes them quit. Macro-managers make the people less productive and they stay!

So how do you find a balance???

• Ensure that you have fixed reporting out of the teams goals and overall progress. This could be a simple weekly review of what got done, what is on plan for this week and any help needed. Or monthly indicator reviews. Every third month, make that review add in the objectives for the next quarter. Yearly planning meetings!
• Ensure that you have scheduled 1:1’s with each individual on your team. Want them effective – here are some hints.
• Make sure to make yourself visible to your team. Too busy? Block out time on your calendar where you can spend time with team in their environment. Make sure everyone has a moment of your team. Ask, “how’s its going?” or “need any help?”. Then listen and ask follow-up questions.
• Have unscheduled reviews with your team. Use this time to see how up the team is on where they are. Ask for them to show you the data. Where is it? How is it collected? What are the plans moving forward. It is not formal review, but one that any team should be able to handle.

As the manager, the balance is your responsibility… Make sure that whatever you do – keep it easy and flexible to insure that no one gets stale.