402: How to Stop Micro-Managing and More Questions, with Bonni Stachowiak
Apr 1, 2019
Explore how to support team members during tough times while maintaining professional boundaries. Learn strategies to avoid micromanagement and create a trusting environment that motivates staff. Discover ways to enhance your executive presence and adapt to leadership challenges, including gender perceptions in the workplace. The discussion also covers the importance of meaningful feedback and effective survey design, emphasizing transparency and continuous improvement. Finally, delve into the value of networking through professional organizations.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Supporting Team Members Through Difficulty
Show empathy to your team members going through personal difficulties, but maintain professional boundaries.
Offer flexibility and be mindful of their situation, but minimize personal conversations in the workplace.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Avoiding Micromanagement
Establish clear expectations upfront and define check-in frequency with your team.
Base check-in frequency on project visibility and team member experience levels.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Hope for the Flowers
Bonni Stachowiak recounts the children's book "Hope for the Flowers" to illustrate the pitfalls of focusing solely on upward career movement.
The story emphasizes the importance of personal reflection and growth over constantly striving for the next level.
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This book tells the story of two caterpillars, Stripe and Yellow, who initially believe they must climb a towering pillar of fellow caterpillars to reach success. However, they learn through their experiences that true fulfillment arises from transformation and genuine love. The story is an allegory for life, ambition, love, and the importance of staying true to oneself, emphasizing that chasing success through competition can lead to disappointment and that true growth comes from personal transformation and discovering one's true self[3][4].
Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed
Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions.
Listener Questions
Peter asked about how to support a team member going through a difficult situation.
Mike wondered what strategies he could use to avoid being a micro-manager.
Roger asked about advice on next steps after an executive role didn’t work out.
Ali asked for input on assessments for executive presence.
Thomas wanted input on how to better design surveys.
Resources Mentioned
Hope for the Flowers* by Trina Paulus
Double Loop Learning
The Look & Sound of Leadership podcast by Tom Henschel
Related Episodes
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The Way to Lead After a Workplace Loss, with Andrew Stenhouse (episode 142)
Get ROI From Professional Associations, with John Corcoran (episode 209)
How to Move From Victim to Victor, with John Sanei (episode 366)
Get Smart About Assessments, with Ken Nowack (episode 371)
Unconscious Mistakes Women Make, with Lois Frankel (episode 386)
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