Had opportunity to talk with long established leader this week about “Effective Leadership.” What tips could he share to help up-and-coming leaders.
I asked him how he stays on top of projects without micromanaging? Or stepping back to far?
He works for company where Board, President and CEO all want to be kept in loop. On strategic direction every project is going. I asked him how he does it.
“You described a never-ending journey. I read everything I can when it comes to practical leadership. Early in my career I was either micromanaging or stepping back to far. Took long time before I learned when to delegate and when to stay in loop. For that matter what delegation really means.”
What are the keys?
“When I would delegate, I tended to trust team entirely and walk away. That undermined confidence. They took my long hands-off approach as not caring. That’s last impression I wanted to leave. It also meant I was not on top of things when superiors wanted updates.
Knowing what “managing the details” means. “Took me long time to understand that phrase means different things to everyone who uses it. Once I understood that, I knew how to question superiors. To learn how much detail they wanted on each project.
Giving superiors the information they needed. How did he do that? “Answer to that was so simple I shake my head at myself. I just asked them four questions:
“-Level of details they wanted?
“Level of details they wanted?
How often they want reports?
Format they wanted for reports? (Verbal, thumbnail updates, overviews, or actual written status reports?
That’s another loaded question. I screwed up few times. Then I learned to immediately ask superiors how much detail they wanted in written status reports.
I learned every leader answers that differently. I’ve had superiors over small projects that require lot of step-by-step detail . Leaders over multi-million dollar projects that only wanted answers to questions Board of Directors would ask them.When they wanted to receive information. Some just want periodic big picture updates. Others want weekly status reports.”
Answers to those four questions enable him to:
Let team members know data he needs, when, and why.
Explain to team members the data he needs, when, and why.
Identifies how much time he needs to spend on each project.
When updates are enough and when he needs more.
Shows team members his confidence in their decisions.
Summary:
Leadership continually involves building trust, confidence and credibility. With teams and superiors. Understanding the level of detail various people need to succeed and gain confidence.
What other leadership topics should we cover? Where would you like more insight? Let us know.
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
