Nobody wants to be micromanaged, especially in the autonomous era of hybrid work.
Micromanagement offers a medley of concerns: hypercritical overfocus, an absence of practical advice and an atmosphere that stifles initiative while encouraging churn. A Forbes article from June 2021 highlighted the negative effects of micromanagement on direct reports: 85 percent of affected employees said it impacted their morale, and over a third changed jobs for that reason.
A good leader wants to balance hands-on and hands-off styles of management. Not all feedback, though, is micromanagement — in fact, most of it isn’t. A great manager tailors their feedback toward helping employees improve skills, address issues and gain independence and autonomy in their work.
Stephanie Mair, local digital campaign management manager for data-driven TV advertising company Ampersand, emphasized the importance of empowerment in the development of her direct reports.
“As much as I want to be involved with each person in what they are doing, I want them to feel autonomy,” said Mair. “Building trust within your team is crucial.”
Mair focuses her management style on ensuring her employees have the necessary skills and training to address problems on their own, while at the same time giving them the chance to make growth-enabling mistakes and rely on her as a resource when needed.
In her conversation with Built In NYC, Mair went into further detail on what this balanced style of management looks like — and the effect it has on her team’s growth, independence and success.
As many companies are making more room for remote and hybrid work, how do you supervise direct reports without them feeling like you’re checking in on them all of the time?
I create an environment of trust and transparency. As our organization fluctuated in this hybrid model of working from home and in the office, there was an organic, seamless transition with the team.
I have always maintained an open-door policy, and it has extended to conversations over zoom or the phone as well as in person. I also set up bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with each member on the team. This is the time where we discuss career growth, address issues they may be facing that they aren’t comfortable discussing in a team meeting and manage challenges with people not reaching out to me as a resource.
Great managers often identify opportunities to step aside and let their direct reports lead. Can you share a time when you were able to do this and how it turned out for both you and the employee?
Recently, one of my team members encountered a situation with one of our partners. She kept me apprised on the issues while managing to rectify the challenge with the proper training and tools to resolve the situation on her own. I sat in on the meeting with the partner in case she needed the additional support, but in the end, she was able to manage the call confidently and independently.
For your team to be more effective, you want to make sure they have the fundamental training to be successful in their position.”
What advice would you give a new manager who’s not sure when to step in?
For your team to be more effective, you want to make sure they have the fundamental training to be successful in their position. At the same time, your team needs to be given the freedom to make mistakes to improve. I prefer to assess a scenario and see what steps my team members take before I intervene — these indicators tell me if there needs to be more coaching. From there, I can help them decide what the next course of action should be.
