Stop Micromanaging From the Beach
Your team doesn’t need you (and that’s a good thing)
Taking leave is essential for your physical and mental health. It’s also good for your creative energy and your perspective on things. And this isn’t just a message you should send to your team – it’s a value you need to demonstrate. Remember what they tell you on flights? You need to put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others.
But can you really let go of work when you’re away? Can you actually switch off, or do you feel the need to stay available “just in case”? Only if it’s really important?
Let’s turn that back on itself, because that’s what subversive managers do. Do you trust your team? You’ve been working with them, building them up – for what? You know that your job is to make yourself invisible and stay out of their way. Your job is not to micromanage them. Your job is to trust their expertise and abilities.
So what’s the problem?
Did you empower your team to make decisions in your absence by giving them clear guidelines on how to handle specific scenarios? Did you encourage them to use their own judgement instead of deferring to you? Did you promise to back their judgement, no matter what?
If you didn’t, then you haven’t done your job.
If you have, then you can take a true break from work.
Set the expectations. Trust your team. Back their decisions. They can handle it. Leave. Relax.
One of the core competencies for leaders is developing others and the best way to do that and fill the 50% rule is to train and allow others to act for your position while you are there to support them. That way they can act for you when you are not there.
In one department government department this was a KPI and leave was not approved unless someone was given the acting opportunity. Worked well for everyone.