You know you don’t want to choke your staff with micromanagement minutiae. Here’s how to get the best out of your employees.
Before opening my business, I worked for a lot of companies-big and small, corporate and family run, traditional and innovative. I encountered many types of managers, and I learned that those who managed best were those who allowed staff members to think boldly, to move swiftly, and to do so with a game plan rather than a rulebook.
When it came time to open Metal Mafia, I knew that I wanted my company to be a place that valued motivation and maverick thinking over micromanagement. The only way to make that happen was to be willing to delegate, and as a business owner, giving up control sometimes was scary. To beat back fear in favor of freedom, here’s how to comfortably delegate:
Establish checkpoints.
Employees thrive when they feel they are not only entrusted with, but accountable for, the projects they work on. That said, as business owners, we need to know how projects are advancing. Rather than asking about specific details every step of the way, I check in with staff members at regular intervals, but in a more general way. My staff members are able to report progress instead of feeling as though they are facing an inquisition. This allows me to head off problems before they happen, but in a way that does not compromise the autonomy of the people working for me.
To read this article in full, visit leading US small business resource Inc.
