Are You Under-Managing Your Team?

Management styles vary widely in the workplace; some managers are more involved with the work of their line reports while others choose to offer more independence.

Under-management and Micro-management represent two extreme management styles and are typically seen as negative management methods. A few years ago, “Essentialism” author Greg McKeown gathered data from 1,000 managers at 100 top companies, including Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, HP, and IBM. Half the participants described their most dysfunctional managers as “nice, but weak” (classic under-managers). The other half described their worst managers as controlling, over-involved, and tyrannical (micro-managers).

While micro-management clearly gets most of the negative attention, under-management often flies under the radar, and we hear relatively little about it. But under-management may be just as big a problem.

So, what is Under-management?

As the name suggests, there’s just not quite enough management being done and business performance often suffers as a direct consequence. It’s a hands-off style characterised by managers being less involved than they should be in day-to-day operations which often denies employees the supervision, instruction and support they require to excel on the job. Kim Scott, author of the best seller Radical Candor, called this approach “absentee management”. It is typified by poor accountability for employee development and performance. This is often due to a desire by managers to be liked or to avoid confrontation which unfortunately then gets in the way of fully productive management.

Pushing your team and holding them accountable for strong performance won’t win you any popularity contests, and it will also require some level of comfort with conflict. But while maintaining positive relationships with your colleagues is important, over the long run, your biggest priority as a manager is to oversee their development and deliver business results. Sadly, too many leaders today are failing to provide the guidance, structure, and support that their teams need to succeed. For most organisations, their human resource is their most expensive and valuable resource, like any important resource, you really can’t afford to under-manage it.

Good managers know they can’t afford not to spend time managing their team. They have regular one-on-one conversations to set expectations, goals, deadlines; assign necessary resources; solve problems; course correct; review work in progress and plan next steps.

If you think you might be under-managing, here are two immediate steps to take:

1. Don’t be a conflict-avoider. This is one of the toughest lessons I have had to learn in my management career, my natural disposition is to pick my battles and avoid conflicts where possible. I quickly realised that to succeed in management, you need to be prepared to literally “go to war” to ensure the development of your team and their productivity. This is one area that should never be open to compromise as this essential for them, your clients and the entire organisation. You must become highly conscious of conflict and not duck it. Truth be told I still don’t like dealing with conflict (and I probably will never be completely comfortable with it), but I recognised it was a vital and unavoidable part of my management role.

2. View goal setting as mission critical. If you’re not meeting your business goals, which is the danger at the heart of under-management, first make sure the goals your team need to achieve are well-conceived, clear, regularly communicated and reviewed. Most managers don’t spend nearly enough time on goal setting, communicating and reviewing the goals. Thoughtfully aligned goals that are agreed to by employees and reviewed periodically can be a manager’s best friend because it provides a clear roadmap and process to guide your work with your team.

For well-run organisations, under-management isn’t a sustainable management methodology, and it is entirely reasonable to expect managers to — in a rational and decent manner- hold their people accountable for their personal development and business results. The job, after all, is called management.

Are you doing all you can to set appropriate goals, hold people accountable to them, and deliver the results you need to grow the business and their careers? Ultimately, rising above under-management offers a win-win situation for all. It is better for your organisation, your clients and everyone’s career.