Serenity Prayer - Leadership in the 21st Century #5
God, grant me the Serenity to let my team do its job, Courage to dig deep into important issues, and Wisdom to know the difference. A lot has been said about the micromanager, who drives his team crazy with frequent updates and unnecessary details. At the same time a too “laissez-faire” style of management can be inattentive and right out dangerous if you miss an important issue.
The 20th Century Manager (20M) may be one of the two, either micromanager or “laissez-faire” – you can probably point them out in your organization without fail. The 20M has an inflexible leadership style which is either driving you crazy with detailed meddling or “constantly out-for-lunch”. The main point is that the 20M lacks the ability to adjust and will treat all team members equally.
The 21st Century Manager (21M) will be more flexible. He will not treat every team the same or manage every project with the same setup. In general, he will spend more time with a new project or a new team or a new colleague. As the people, teams and projects become more mature, he will reduce his attention and need for detail – eventually getting out of the way completely. That allows him time to tackle the next issue that needs urgent attention and shows trust to his team to get the job done. Nothing is a bigger time waster than unnecessary reporting and nothing feels lonelier than being on your own with a problem. The 21M needs to be able to judge when the time is right to check all the details and when to let go. If you are having trouble with the Wisdom part, ask your team! Chances are they will let you know how much support they need.
TL; DR: Know when to dig deep into an issue and when to get out of the way!