When managers work to improve their skills, they usually focus on what they should start doing, not what they should stop. Articles, posts, and books that focus on management habits typically concentrate on positive additions they believe you should adopt. However, by working to avoid certain missteps, you can also increase your effectiveness in your role.
If you are wondering what management habits you need to break, here are three things you should stop doing immediately.
1. Micromanaging
While you certainly need to keep an eye on your team, constantly looking over each of your employee’s shoulders isn’t going to endear you to your staff. Spending tons of time telling them exactly what to do and reviewing every tiny move they make also isn’t time efficient, causing you to lose valuable minutes or hours that would be better spent doing something that generates more value.
If you have a genuinely skilled and experienced team, this level of oversight is unnecessary. Plus, it suggests you don’t trust them, and that is incredibly damaging to morale and will ultimately lead to increased turnover.
2. Publicly Criticizing Employees
When you criticize your workers in front of other staff members, at public events, or essentially in front of anyone but the employee themselves, you are creating a toxic environment. Getting dressed down in public is embarrassing and doesn’t create an opportunity for a constructive dialogue, partially because many workers automatically withdraw from the confrontation, trying to limit the impact of the event.
Criticism should always be delivered in private. Additionally, your feedback needs to be constructive, not just negative. Otherwise, your employee will struggle to learn and grow after hearing what you have to say, as they may not know what actions they need to take to meet your expectations.
3. Information Hoarding
While it is true your team may not need to have access to every detail about the company’s state or plans, they do need to be well informed. If they cannot grasp the big picture, are unaware of what is on the horizon, or are not told when a decision is made that affects them, outcomes suffer.
Plus, information hoarding can also breed distrust. If your employees believe you are hiding something from them (because you are), they will become suspicious and fearful. This is harmful to the organization’s culture and, in some circumstances, can even lead to higher turnover.
People usually work best when they understand how their contributions impact the big picture. Similarly, knowing about facets of the company and recent decisions that have an effect on their tasks or projects allows them to adjust their approach to increase success.
By breaking the three management habits above, you can become a more effective manager. If you would like to learn more about how you can develop stronger leadership skills, the professionals at CPS Recruitment can help. Contact us to discuss your questions with a member of our knowledgeable team today and see how our leadership expertise can benefit you. If you need to find better quality job seekers in Upstate NY, we can help!