Micro vs hands-off? Finding the right management balance
There can be a fine line between being too hands-on and too hands-off in your management style. This is especially true for managers who are new to an organisation or to management itself.
Inexperienced leaders feel pressure to prove themselves to colleagues and their bosses by modelling behaviour we associate with traditional approaches to management—strength, decisiveness, and a high degree of organisation.
While these qualities remain valuable, the need to establish oneself in a new role can translate into micromanagement.
On the flip side, some who are new to leadership may favour the opposite approach and look to empower their teams with more autonomy, which is designed to build self-confidence and resilience and create a sense of freedom within a team dynamic.
Finding the right balance between a micro approach that can be reassuring and a hands-off approach that emphasises independence can be challenging, but here are three proven strategies to provide your teams with the support they need to grow and succeed.
Scaffold tasks when you delegate
Time constraints mean it’s standard for many managers to try to limit team involvement in the briefing process for new projects. After all, if instructions can be provided succinctly and with minimal engagement, there are less likely to be delays moving forward.
This approach may be fine for everyday tasks or projects that are low in complexity, but it can also be counterproductive and lead to confusion, missed deadlines, and work that falls short of expected results.
A better strategy is to try scaffolding your briefing process and treating it more as a partnership where you can align over expectations, purpose, and goals rather than adopting a more hierarchical approach that is entirely management-driven.
Let's say, for example, you’re briefing an employee on a project for competitor market analysis.
Before delegating a task and starting the briefing process, it can be a good idea to note key points of discussion that will help paint a more detailed picture of the project and what success will look like.
- How will results be measured?
- Why is it of strategic importance?
- Who are our competitors?
- Who can I contact for more information and resources?
- How should the project be structured?
- What is the timeline?
- What is a strong outcome for the project?
If you understand the above, briefing your employees will be more straightforward, and you will relieve some of the burden from your shoulders as the onus is now on collaboration.
You could share this document and encourage input and feedback as part of the process. This would give your employee more autonomy and help you both identify and work through potential project pitfalls.
Model purpose-driven and consistent communication
Most managers will schedule regular 1:1 sessions with the individuals they lead, and these meetings can have significant benefits.
They’re not just a tool for keeping tasks and goals on track; they’re also an effective way to strengthen relationships, explore career development, and problem-solve together.
But what can often happen over time is that as we become increasingly familiar with each other, our personalities, our ways of working, and our individual capabilities, 1:1s may instead start to resemble the catch-ups that we have around the office or on instant messaging apps.
This is quite natural, and there is nothing wrong with it per se, but it can result in you hosting 1:1s where a less structured approach becomes the norm rather than the exception.
One idea for pepping up your 1:1s is to solicit feedback on the level of management you are providing.
Some managers and employees are uncomfortable with this type of conversation for fear of overstepping the mark or causing offence, but if handled responsibly, it can be a useful way to gauge whether you are being too hands-on or too hands-off or hopefully providing just the right level of support.
A good starting point would be to agree on a particular focus, theme, or agenda ahead of time and gradually build up to more challenging conversations, including discussions on your level of management. That way, you’ll have time to plan and prepare responses that are appropriate as well as authentic.
Take time to understand better the roles your employees fulfil
Different roles require different levels and types of support.
For example, someone working as an analyst may need you to help them access specific tools, data sets, and training. In contrast, a designer or a content writer may need fairly low-level support and the freedom to explore different ideas.
By taking the time to better understand your team's different roles and functions, you'll be able to provide the right guidance and reduce the need for micromanagement.
But leading a team and carrying out your duties to a high standard may not leave much time for a deep dive into specific roles and responsibilities, so here are a few ideas you can implement that shouldn’t take too much time away from your core responsibilities.
Facilitate role-specific workshops
This is especially useful if you're new to management or your team. Allowing your employees to present their roles, responsibilities, and the essential tools they use serves a dual purpose: It will educate you and the broader team on their work and give you insights into how little or how much management they will likely need to succeed.
Making these sessions more interactive by encouraging group participation will potentially give you deeper insights.
Use cross-functional training (and remember to participate)
Why not build on your role-specific workshops with cross-functional training that gives your team an opportunity to learn the basics of each other’s roles?
This not only promotes collaboration and enhances individual skill sets, but, as with your group workshops, it will also give you a better understanding of the different duties each team member carries out and the level of management required.
Aim to participate as much as possible to get the most out of this. However, remember that one of the main advantages of this activity is that it relieves you from the pressure of having to facilitate all the cross-functional training yourself.
Keep an updated role and responsibilities document for your team
It sounds obvious, right? Most teams have one, but how often do you revisit this document and check that responsibilities still accurately reflect the work being done or shifts that may have occurred over time?
Not taking the time to check and update this document can result in tasks being neglected, which could even cause resentment within your team if resources are not being allocated effectively or if there is no means of holding team members accountable for their work.
Maintaining an updated roles and responsibilities document will give you the confidence to step back and allow your employees to take ownership of their tasks.
Finding balance through understanding
When managers lean too far towards either micromanagement or a hands-off approach, fear is often the driving factor.
Not having a good grasp of the roles and responsibilities different individuals perform can result in insecurity that may lend itself to micromanagement because of a need to compensate by exerting more control.
Likewise, fear can result in an approach to leadership that is too hands-off. A perceived lack of knowledge could expose weaknesses, resulting in managers becoming withdrawn and apprehensive about offering their own input and advice.
Gaining a stronger understanding of your team’s roles and responsibilities is crucial to overcoming these fears. Developing a more balanced management style will go a long way to building trust within your team and improving performance.
The University of Melbourne offers tailored leadership training for organisations looking to upskill employees with essential skills all managers need. Find out more.
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