Being a Macromanager Can Kill

Macromanagers

Insight from Dan Hock

Have you ever had a team that you gave the leeway to do whatever you wanted?

Feels great, right? The team feels happy, things seem to be moving, and then bam!

The end-of-quarter review happens, and it turns out that you had terrible results.

But you say, hey let's ignore this quarter. Everyone's happy, so we'll for sure be able to fix this.

Over time though, your team doesn’t improve. You become known for being poor performers because you aren't able to meet metrics.

You might be macromanaging yourself to failure.

While everyone knows of micromanagers, macromanagers, can be silent organization killers.

Macromanagers are managers who provide poor guidance to their direct reports, delay making changes until a crisis arises, or have poor prep levels.

If you consider yourself a macromanagers, consider these steps to adjust your management approach:

1. Identify Your Fears

The initial step is acknowledging your fears. Understanding the underlying fears is crucial to avoid reverting to old habits.

Micromanagers typically fear their team's inability to produce results. This concern is more pronounced for those who were effective individual contributors and worry that their skills may not translate well into management roles.

Macromanagers often worry about being disliked or facing resistance from their team, particularly when they've been promoted early and are managing a team of peers or those with similar experience levels, potentially leading to feelings of being an imposter.

2. Understand Your Team

Fundamental to you being a great leader is being able to understand the capabilities of your team.

Considered the best management book ever, "High Output Management," Andy Grove introduced the concept of "task-relevant maturity":

In my experience, it's often evident that a team member is not just capable of a particular task but may excel beyond my own abilities. When you realize this, it is a clear indicator to step back.

3. Implement an Intervention Framework

Consider the severity of the consequences if a decision goes wrong and your confidence in the correct solution. These two factors together guide your intervention strategy.

Using this framework, be sure to

• allow the team to make mistakes, especially in low-risk decisions.

• Delegate fully if you're unsure.

• If you're confident, let the team explore, providing guidance as needed.

For high-stakes decisions, the approach varies. If you're confident and the team is off track, step in. If unsure, collaborate with the team to gather more information until a clear path emerges.