Real Leaders Don’t Micromanage

“Don’t tell people how to do things; tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” ~George S. Patton

This is the quote that jumped out at me this morning.  And what I know is that it has implications through all facets of your life, whether you consider yourself a leader or not.  At home, at work, in social settings — the tendency to have expectations, set expectations and to then tell people how exactly to meet those expectations runs rampant.  I know I can fall into that pattern; and this week I’ve spoken to several clients and colleagues who have shared stories that revolve around this method of getting expectations met.  The challenge is this:  when you tell people how to do things, you’re micromanaging; and in doing that you’re taking on a level of responsibility that you actually don’t need.

One of the places where this shows up for me is in the parenting context.  And I know that an argument can be made for telling my children what to do — or showing them — by way of teaching them.  For example, I know I could argue that telling them exactly what to pack in their lunch, or specifically which steps to follow to clean their rooms efficiently, could be framed as embracing teaching moments.  And my thought, as I sit with this quote from George S. Patton this morning, is that there might have been a time for that when they were younger — a “lead by example” sort of thing.  The fact, however, is that they are now older.  And as a parent, I still need to lay out the expectations (pack a balanced, healthy lunch; tidy your room and put things where they belong) — but how they meet those expectations can really be left up to them.  While I might advocate for an apple, sandwich and milk in their lunch, they might totally be all for cheese and crackers, yogurt, oranges and trail mix.  Not what I would’ve chosen — and still meets the requirement.

While the parenting context is where I grapple with this particular aspect of leadership, you might well notice the urge to micromanage in the workplace.  The scenarios are different, granted, but the ideas are the same.  When you take it upon yourself to set out proscribed requirements for every facet of an expectation, you’re no longer leading.  Real leaders lay out the expectations and then stay open to how the expectations get met.  The payoff is that novel and innovative ideas and solutions get generated in an environment that has really strong leaders, not micromanagers.  Micro-managing will get the job done; and the environment will be stagnant and predictable, not at all exciting or noteworthy.

Bottom-line:  if you want to get things done, be clear about your expectations.  Set your parameters.  Then stand back, and allow  alternate processes to come alive.  Your way is just a way — rest assured, there are others.  And it can be worthwhile to allow any way that meets the expectation to be okay.