Everyone knows that an overbearing supervisor stands in the way of innovation and blocks the highest levels of productivity. Instead, strong managers go the other way, treating their employees like intellectual and creative equals, rather than children that have to be looked after.
Still, not everyone abides by this policy. As such, the word “boss” can still come with nasty implications. (Visions of pompous, incompetent lords or cruel, demanding dictators come to mind.)
But being a boss has nothing to do with being bossy. Instead, it’s about building relationships and creating an environment for creative and productive achievement. Here are some ways you can tap into deeper productivity by changing your managerial philosophy:
Avoid Micromanaging
No one wants to be a micromanager. It’s frustrating for your employees, and it’s time-consuming for you.
However, micromanagement sometimes happens naturally, almost without you noticing. You want everything done a certain way, so you take the steps necessary to make this happen. Suddenly, you’re micromanaging.
You need to check this impulse and instead, put trust in your employees. Let them make as many routine decisions as possible. A well-trained workforce, tied together by effective communication, can be trusted to solve most low-level problems. What’s more, granting autonomy opens the door to creative solutions.
Create Zones of Responsibility
Empowering employees comes with a caveat: Too much freedom can cause confusion. Workers don’t know where their areas of control stop and where others begin.
This leads to costly redundancies and possibly even personal confrontations. To avoid this, make sure everyone knows the specific area they have control over. Assign individual tasks and zones of control to each employee. That way everyone knows their limits and the overall structure of the team organization is clear.
Maintain Accountability
Once everyone has their clearly marked area of responsibility, it becomes easier to maintain accountability. It allows you to see what’s working, and what requires your personal intervention.
Under an empowerment structure, employees have more freedom of action. They don’t have to check with you for every situation. However, that means you have to keep an eye on them in another way.
Instead of managing the process, you need to manage the results. Hold workers accountable for their assigned tasks.
Set Clear, Measurable Goals
Accountability requires clear goals. In other words, workers need to know the definition of success.
As you make assignments, lay out the results you want to see. Check in periodically to make sure your team members are making appropriate progress. It allows you to oversee everything, while limiting your personal involvement only to situations that have fallen below expectations.
Form Problem-Solving Teams
Individual employees may not be able to handle every situation. However, you shouldn’t automatically swoop in and take care of the problem yourself.
As an alternative, create a system that allows people to work together when they reach an individual impasse. Form problem-solving teams, groups of workers operating in adjacent responsibilities.
These teams can help each other when things get challenging, allowing you to remain the last line of defense. If the problem-solving team can’t resolve the issue, they can appeal to you for advice.
Qualified Staffing Will Bring You the Workers You Can Rely On
Empowering your employees becomes much easier when you have the right team members in the first place. A partnership with a top-flight recruiting firm, like Qualified Staffing, will bring you the kind of workers you can rely on to operate successfully on their own.
Contact Qualified Staffing today to learn more.