One way managers ruin diverse teams

There is a pervasive problem among your managers that is ruining their ability to create a diverse, high-powered team.?

I've given it a name. It's not official or scientific, it just helps me remember and communicate it more easily.

The problem is "mirrormanaging."

Like it's cousin micromanaging, it has several drawbacks.?

Mirrormanaging is defined as managing people to become a reflection of yourself, rather than the best version of themselves.

It's not that you don't have many qualities worth emulating. I imagine you do. However, there are two definitions of "emulate" in Merriam-Webster - one unlocks the power of your team members and the other short circuits it.

The definition of emulate that leads to a short circuit is "to imitate."?

Mirror Managers strive to have others imitate themselves. Instead of viewing your team members directly, you see them as reflected in the mirror, which is yourself. The problem is the mirror can be cloudy or distorted so what you see is not exactly accurate.?

Another problem with mirrormanaging is you use yourself as the de facto standard for everyone else - your experience, your approaches, and your skills.?

As a result, your feedback, consciously or not, is designed to help others better imitate you.

This is less of problem the more a person is like you. How you see them is fairly accurate and what they need may be similar to what you would need.

But what if the person you are giving feedback to is quite unlike you? Often this means your view of them may not be as accurate. It also means what they need may be very different from what you would need - not superior or inferior, just different.

The other definition of emulate, which unlocks the power of your team members is "to strive to equal or excel."?

To do this, you need to view your team members directly like through a window, instead of their reflection in a mirror.?

This is the approach a Modern Manager takes.?

You see others for who they are and don't automatically push them to imitate the way you think, sound, or behave.?Instead, you use your experience, your approach and your skills as a resource to help them develop theirs. As a result, your feedback is consciously designed to help them equal or surpass you.

Seeing your team members more clearly encourages creativity, increases motivation, and sparks team spirit.?

Mirrormanaging kills creativity, decreases motivation, and extinguishes team spirit.

To be a Modern Manager and unlock the full potential of all your team members, be wary of your tendency to mirrormanage. You'll notice the difference and your team will thrive!

Have you ever been mirror managed? How did you feel? How did it impact you? What did you do?

Or in the alternative, did you ever have a manager who viewed you more directly as yourself? How did you feel? How did it impact you? What did you do?