Managers: Are You Too Hands Off?

Empowering employees is often seen as a hallmark of great leadership. 

Managers are advised to give workers more autonomy as a way to encourage outside-the-box thinking, increase engagement, help people learn and grow, build trust, and get them to take ownership. But when managers are too hands-off, it can backfire. 

One of the biggest myths of employee empowerment is that “people do their best work when you leave them alone,” says author and speaker Bruce Tulgan. Too much autonomy is actually neglect.

Risks of managers giving employees excessive autonomy:

• Lack of clarity leading to rework. 

  Regular communication helps keep projects on tract. It's true that performance expectations always seem clear when you give them. But it's regular progress checks and interaction that keep everyone on the same page. 

  These interactions are opportunities to make timely course corrections that prevent small mistakes from turning into larger problems or time being wasted on the wrong things. They also shed light on unexpected challenges or scope changes. 

• Inconsistent performance across a team. 

  Experienced workers usually take less oversight than new hires. That's why a one-size-fits-all approach to empowerment will backfire. While making mistakes is a key part of learning, not taking skill levels and experience into account can be more frustrating than empowering. 

  Employees who see the entire team working without guidance may also be hesitant to ask for help because it might be viewed poorly. Giving too much autonomy also sometimes enables low-performing employees to hide out unnoticed - a frustration for high performers who don't see recognition for their efforts.

• Unnecessary stress and decision fatigue.

  While most of us appreciate independence, we also need reassurance from time to time. When that support is missing, it can look like no one cares and that decisions don't matter. Even if you're empowering someone, it's important to watch progress closely so you can point out specific successes and help people see the value in their work.

Instead of a sink-or-swim mentality, Tulgan suggests balancing autonomy with guidance, direction, support and coaching from a more experienced person. When an employee is trained and ready, do step back from micromanaging and give them the freedom to test their own ideas without micromanaging. 

Sign up now for one of our scheduled management training programs.

Managing people requires a time commitment.

Building a strong management relationship with employees means getting to know each person and spending one-on-one time with them every day, from the moment you hire them.

Got a mentor program? Your new employee is probably thrilled to have someone they can go to with questions and for clarification. But they will likely still want time with the boss. They crave a connection … to be noticed for their work … by you. “In large corporations, this is especially true,” reports inc.com, “since employees can feel isolated or unrecognized in a vast sea of workers.”

You need a strong rapport with each person on your team. Spending time with them only when something unusually good or bad happens doesn’t do that. Instead, make time to roll up your sleeves and coach them every day. Make time for one-on-one talks that help an employee work through challenges and let them know you value them and their work.