They say people leave bad managers, not employers. What makes a leader intolerable to employees? What does it mean to be a “Helicopter Boss” and how does one impact team performance?
What is a Helicopter Boss?
This is defined as an individual who micromanages their subordinates in the workplace. A helicopter boss can also be referred to as a micro-manager. This type of manager has a tendency to hover over his/her staff and constantly check up on them. The intention behind the frequent check-ins is often a good one, motivated by a drive for productivity, support, “staying on top of things” and ensuring success.
Micromanagement intends to control a team but achieves the exact opposite. (Corinna Hagen) Share on XHow Leaders Enable Performance
When the pandemic shifted nearly all work into a virtual, remote setting, one question managers asked was, “How do I know they’re working?” The question assumes that you only know people who are working if you see them. It’s a dangerous assumption because it prompts you to counterproductive behavior and assessments of the wrong indicators for performance.
What would you prefer: being able to watch people do the work or being able to assess the results of their work? It’s pretty clear to most managers that they want their team to meet their targets.
What Happens When You Cross The Line
Interestingly, being a micromanager helps you achieve the opposite of the intended high performance. Here is why:
Controlling behavior creates mistrust. Your need for frequent check-ins and controlling every detail of your employee’s work communicates that you do not trust them. Your distrust, in turn, creates mistrust in your employees. Mistrust hinders collaborative work and transparent communication.
Interruptions harm productivity. How can you expect your team to get anything done if you frequently interrupt their work? It takes on average 20 minutes to get your focus back after an interruption. If you need your team to meet deadlines, give them the time to accomplish their work.
Micromanagement hinders innovation. If you expect others to perform as your carbon copy, you are disabling creative thinking and effective problem-solving. Furthermore, you don’t leverage the diversity in personality traits, strengths, and experience your employees bring to work.
Tight control doesn’t solve productivity issues. Micromanaging does not help you to create high-performing teams. Instead, it saps your productivity and prevents you from developing your talent. So, change your check-ins. For example, stop inquiring about status updates and begin to ask questions that help identify obstacles. Then commit to helping your team remove those obstacles.
Shifting From Controlling To Enabling
If your team has complained to you about this, consider what is creating this urge in you to check in frequently. For example, are you afraid your team doesn’t understand the importance of an assignment? Has poor delivery crushed your expectations?
Understanding the underlying reasons for your behavior will inform your next step. For instance, if your expectations haven’t been met before, adjust your communication. Communicate expectations for what you will achieve as a team, how you expect to work together, and how and when updates are expected. Then let your team repeat back to you what they understood to ensure you are on the same page.
Lastly, learn to release the control button. Let your team get to work. Your constant check-ins are merely interruptions. Moreover, they don’t produce high-performance teams. On the contrary, they produce people who “put in a lot of hours.” At best, they become emergency responders or reporters who learn to tell you what you want to hear.
Related Resources
Take a look at these other resources on the topic:
- It’s Okay to Be the Boss: The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need by Bruce Tulgan – 213 pages
- The One Minute Manager® by Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson – 112 pages
- Being a Leader, Not a Micromanager(video) –2 min.
- “High Performance Virtual Work” – How Leaders Create Effective Virtual Workplaces (eBook) –40 pages
Here’s making leading choices!
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