“Go do this and that, but I want to watch you complete every task…”
What is management?
Managers hold a very important position. They oversee everything and have the responsibility to take care of administrative duties. They have to control things and people to ensure that tasks get done. They are in charge of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling employees. Managers are tasked to ensure that everything runs smoothly for a company, including tending to the factors of production, assembling resources, and allocating resources to meet goals.
What is the difference between leadership and management?
Although managers and leaders hold higher positions that may seem similar, there are important differences to take note of. Managers hold the controlling factor, but leaders are there to guide and influence others. Management has the responsibility to meet the transactional goals more than the transformational responsibility that leaders hold. A manager would be the head of a team, but a leader would act as part of the team. Managers are directing the group and telling people what to do.
What is micromanagement?
Micromanagers…ugh. The best way to describe a micromanager is to imagine having a hawk watching over you. They’re watching your every move, and they’re ready to swoop in at any moment without warning. Although there are some positive effects of micromanaging, most times the negatives outweigh the positives. You might have greater control and high engagements with a team, but you lose out on trust, increase burnout, and create very dependent staff. Employees need room to grow and flourish as individuals, both inside and outside the work environment. Micromanaging damages employee motivation and creativity.
What is effective management?
Effective management is finding the middle ground between leadership and being the head of a team. Confidence is key for managers, but there is a fine line between being arrogant and confident in your decision making skills. Your confidence should be motivating and empowering for a team to make them want to work and put forth their best efforts to reach company goals. It shouldn’t feel like a manager is just nagging their employees to do the work and watching their every move. It should sound more like “This, this, and this has to be done, but feel free to come to me if you have any questions or put your own twist on things. I would also like to touch base with you at the end of the week.”