Am I the only person who’s ever seen a person who’s so desperate to avoid becoming a micromanager that they end up giving their employees no direction at all?
It’s exhausting to deal with, and it’s completely avoidable because clarity isn’t micromanagement.
👉 If you’re a manager and you have a vision in your head of what the result of a project will be, then you should describe it to your employees in detail.
Now, here’s the difference between micromanagement and empowerment. If you want to micromanage your employees, then tell them exactly what they need to do to achieve the result you just described.
If you want to empower your employees, let them decide how to achieve the result you’re looking for.
When you choose empowerment, you’ll still need to have regular check-ins and provide support and guidance when they ask for it, but for the most part, you step back so your employees can own the project.
💡 Clarity is a requirement for management, regardless of whether you decide to micromanage or empower.
References: Frank JD, Frank JB. Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy. JHU Press; 1973.
Post Title: Clarity is the antidote to workplace anxiety.