Don't micromanage, but don't be hands-off either

No one likes a micromanager -- but going too far to the extreme and becoming a hands-off anti-micromanager can still create confusion and inaction among your team because you're not giving them clear guidance, writes Chris Lipp, an author and professor at Tulane University. "Rather than move projects forward, anti-micromanagers spend countless hours deliberating with their team to ensure everyone is in agreement. The result is less action," Lipp writes.

Put it into practice: Anti-micromanagers often want their team to like them, so they find it difficult to hold others (and themselves) accountable, which can undermine success, Lipp writes. "When you hold others accountable, you force them to acknowledge their responsibility, which breaks their illusion of powerlessness and empowers them."

Strategic plans often fail due to rigidity, excessive goals and lack of team alignment, writes Beco Lichtman, who offers the ALIGN framework, which emphasizes assessing the current situation, locking in priorities, generating commitment and ensuring execution. "Without clear communication, roles and collaboration, teams can become disconnected from the strategy. And let's face it: when people feel left out of the process, their motivation to execute drops fast," Lichtman notes.

Put it into practice: Focus on three to five priorities for your team so they don't feel overwhelmed and lose sight of their strategic goals, Lichtman writes. "It's always better to excel at a few key priorities than to spread your team too thin."

When communication from leaders is unclear, contradictory or fails to acknowledge employees' struggles or frustrations, it can create distrust, conflict and feelings of disconnection, writes author and leadership expert Cheryl Robinson. "Intentional communication ensures that people understand the message and feel confident in their role in the bigger picture," Robinson writes.

Put it into practice: Your team knows something is wrong when their concerns are dismissed or you say, "We know what's best for everyone," Robinson writes. "Employees can sense when something is wrong; without clear communication, they will fill in the gaps with speculation -- often assuming the worst."

Beware of tacit approval. While 82% of you shut down or redirect someone talking behind someone else's back, the 18% of you who entertain the discussion are putting yourselves in a precarious position. If you engage and join in the complaining, your behavior is no better than the complainer. If you're that person's leader, you're sending a terrible message that you not only condone but encourage such behavior by virtue of your participation in the conversation.

For the 12% of you who listen and then ignore it, you're sending a signal that it's okay for people to talk behind others' backs. Since you're not correcting the behavior, you're implicitly approving of it. Additionally, if that person continues talking to others, it's possible they'll say "I was talking to (insert your name here) about this and they agree with me." Now you're an unwilling and unwitting participant in the backbiting.

Nip it in the bud. When someone starts behaving this way, shut it down and direct them to have the conversation with the person they're complaining about.

-- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: "One Piece of Paper," "Lead Inside the Box" and "The Elegant Pitch."

As President Donald Trump rolls back federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and some private corporations appear to be doing the same, Sheila Ireland, president and CEO of OIC Philadelphia, says DEI will evolve because younger generations know the value of diversity and won't tolerate bias and secrecy. "This is not corporate America of 30 years ago where decisions are made in the room, and no one knows what's going on. Everybody wants to know what you're doing and why you're doing it," Ireland says.

Goffin's cockatoos dip pasta and potatoes into blueberry soy yogurt similar to how humans use condiments, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna have found. The study, published in Current Biology, found that nine of 18 birds preferred the blueberry flavor over plain yogurt, indicating a preference for flavor rather than texture.

At my first job in a university public relations department, after I left my journalism career, our department director was what we all called "a seat checker." Her office was a couple of floors above our team offices, but just before 9 a.m., she would arrive on our floor and stroll the halls. Woe to anyone who was not at their desk working (or at least appearing to be working).

She was the micromanager of micromanagers, always wanting to know what you were working on and how you were going to complete your tasks. She was also full of what she considered "helpful" suggestions. When she left our floor each morning it felt like a collective sigh went up from the staff. We had survived the morning seat check, and we could breathe again.

I've also had bosses who were the opposite. Whenever you had a question or needed actual help with your work, they would smile and say, "Whatever works best for you." Without clear guidance, we would do what worked for us, only to have our final product criticized or given back to us to do over. If we had been given clear instructions to begin with, we could have saved a lot of time and confusion.

If you find yourself on either end of this spectrum -- "seat checking" your team or telling them to do what works for them -- advice from both Chris Lipp and Cheryl Robinson can help you find that effective middle ground of solid leadership.

Lipp reminds us that as leaders, we must allow our teams to work in efficient ways, but they need our guidance to succeed. "Your perspective empowers the team by giving them meaning and direction," Lipp writes.

When our messages to our teams are clear and consistent, we build trust, and our teams know they can come to us when they have questions. Even better, they know we won't try to placate or gaslight them but instead will hear their concerns and provide actionable feedback. "Dismissing concerns or avoiding the conversation creates uncertainty and distrust," Robinson writes.

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