Leadership and Team Motivation

Micro-Managers

Understood as ... managers with excessive control over their employees, with a constant need to know the smallest detail of the activity that is being done, leaving little margin of decision even in insignificant details.

They show little confidence in their teams and generate demotivation by not providing a culture of development and continuous improvement.

Normally this type of boss has a very high intolerance with the error, increasing the lack of autonomy of the team, which will be limited to following the instructions not to incur potential errors.

The development of talent will not be promoted, the teams will perform the tasks mechanically, without motivation for new challenges and excellence will not be facilitated. Quite the contrary, the excessive control will end up paralyzing the team, and no initiatives or value proposals will be generated.

Normally this type of bosses does not know how to guide employees or influence, so their model is based on generating instructions.
They usually have little experience in management and believe that their fundamental task is to control. Error.

[And that nobody confuses micro-management with micro-guidance, understood as the guide or individual attention that some team members may require]

Do we know the visible (and hidden) talent of all employees?

Any leader must know the talent and the needs of the team. And I mean each of the team members.

How many times great talents have been let go by pure ignorance, by lack of attention to people and their needs.

And many times for not knowing the scope and value that the employees themselves provide. And more often because the leader has not been able to give visibility to this value.

How many times can we improve the life and work environment of the teams that we have in our hands with gestures that not only do not negatively impact results and productivity, but improve it considerably and increase team commitment.

And how many initiatives of this type that only for fear of the change of the so-called leader do not start, leading the team to levels of dissatisfaction, absenteeism and unmanageable turnover.

And the professional development of the team?

At the same time, the leader has to know how to develop his team's talent, facilitating the necessary tools and management that sometimes go through promoting, managing internal mobility, leaving great talents to other teams but keeping them within the organization, in positions of greater value added. Sometimes it will not be easy, and it will require an extra effort that will also need to be properly managed.
But in no case can the team's development opportunities be limited due to the difficulties that this change may suppose.

Global, strategic vision or attention to detail?

It is good that a leader has analytical capacity, as long as it does not lead to an excess. Many times the excessive attention to detail leads to putting the focus on the error of the team members, losing the idea behind.

In this way, the lack of a global vision will cause great ideas to fail or not even be considered.

Is the strategy being shared properly?

The global vision must also be shared, communicated and materialized. The leader must know how to communicate the long-term objectives, show how those objectives are going to materialize through more short-term objectives and actions, share these objectives with all the members of the team, and show the evolution, motivating and congratulating when they are fulfilled and motivating equally when they are not, providing the tools to be achieved in all cases.

The leader must act as a facilitator and guide.

It seems obvious, but managers do not always know how to articulate the strategies and transmit them to the team in the form of concrete actions.

In this type of dynamic, humility is essential and at the same time the empowerment of the boss and all the team members.

And in complex situations of uncertainty? How will a leader act?

Not only must we know how to guide when we have clear objectives.

In situations of uncertainty, it is even more important. It is crucial to know how to communicate the situation with a high dose of realism but also optimism. And it is important that in very dynamic environments, situations of reorganization, in which the strategies are not clear, or are being defined, we always have a clear direction for our team, as aligned as possible with the direction the organization is taking.

But under no circumstances will a leader leave the team aimless in situations of uncertainty.

The action plan may be the most appropiate or it may not. But you must know how to translate your own vision and strategy and make the team act accordingly. And will also have to be able to "defend" his strategy in this changing environment.

Always be based on the slogan that a leader must act by inspiring the team, as a mentor, guide and facilitator, with respect and empathy. He must know how to find the best in his people, always constructive (even in the face of error) and oriented towards action.

Of course, it requires certain innate characteristics and a long way of learning with successes and mistakes, but team management is one of the areas that provides the greatest satisfaction, and goes beyond the achievement of results and objectives met.