Aware of Your Management Style?
Cathie Leimbach • July 8, 2020
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A former staff recruiter for small family businesses described the paradox of business owners’ management practices well.
Hands-on business owners often micromanage their staff. Multiple times each day they give very specific directions to their employees about their next task, even once they are experienced and competent with their regular work. The owner makes all the decisions without discussing with staff so they aren't equipped to work independently.
However, when the small business owner goes on vacation, he announces his travel plans to his staff a couple of days before he leaves. He shares no special information with his staff. He seems to believe they have been working for him long enough that they know how to run the business.
But then, when the owner returns to work, he is frustrated that the employees didn’t handle day-to-day irregularities the way he would have. And, of course, now that he is back on the job, they are receiving detailed instructions for routine work.
If you can trust your employees to keep the business going while you are away, is it really a good use of your time, or motivating for them, when you micromanage them?
If you don’t involve your employees in discussions about workplace situations that arise from time to time, how can you expect them to make decisions that align with your preferences?
Does your management style assume that staff aren’t competent to complete their regular work without daily instructions? Or, do you expect that they will magically have strong problem-solving skills when you aren’t there? Maybe you can relate with both scenarios.
What can you do to show that you trust your competent employees and equip them to handle unexpected situations?
When you adjust your management style, you will have more time to manage the business and they will have increased job satisfaction, resulting in higher productivity. And then, you will reap a stronger bottom line.
In most organizations, the instinct is to add —more goals, more projects, more meetings. But as Juliet Funt, founder of the Juliet Funt Group, teaches in her Strategic Choice process, real leadership strength lies in deciding what to stop doing . Strategic Choice is the intentional narrowing of priorities—cutting away the clutter so teams can focus on what truly drives results. It’s a disciplined act of letting go: saying no to good ideas so there’s room for the great ones. Funt’s approach challenges leaders to pause, think, and create the mental and operational space their people need to perform at their best. By removing unnecessary tasks and misplaced effort, leaders make room for precision, innovation, and real thinking time. This isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When businesses adopt this mindset, they replace overwhelm with clarity and regain control of their time, energy, and outcomes. For small to mid-sized companies, embracing Strategic Choice can transform busyness into focus—and that focus is where sustainable growth begins. Want a quick visual overview? View Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters to see how this process helps leaders focus on what truly drives results.
Hey team leaders! Ever wonder why some companies soar while others stumble? Patrick Lencioni's bestseller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , nails it: workplace dysfunctions such as no trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability, and ignoring results lead to mediocre performance at best. But here's the good news—smart leadership development changes the game! Start with building trust . Train leaders to open up and be vulnerable. Teams bond, ideas flow, and costly mistakes drop. Next, embrace healthy conflict . Teach team leaders to make it safe for team members to share the pros and cons of current or new ways of doing things. This helps everyone understand different perspectives. Then, drive commitment . Leaders who clarify goals, ask everyone to share their level of buy-in, and address their concerns get everyone bought in. People focus on high value work and get more done. . Hold folks accountable through coaching. Leaders learn to give kind, direct feedback by praising good work and calmly providing more training as needed. Turnover plummets and the quality and quantity of work improves. Finally, focus on results . Be clear on expectations. Keep score by monitoring progress weekly or daily. Acknowledge team wins when the goals are met. Winning sports teams pay attention to these Five Behaviors of a Team. How would a World Series winner have been determined this week without trust among the players and coaches, openness to tough coaching, the whole team working together, players focusing on their specific positions, and getting players around the bases to get the top score? Every workplace can benefit from these team behaviors as well. Lencioni's research proves it: Companies who prepare their leaders to overcome these 5 common workplace dysfunctions, improve the culture and see huge financial gains. Invest in your leaders today. Your bottom line will thank you! Click here to learn more about the painful cost of team dysfunction.