Women at Work

How to Manage: Getting Out of the Weeds

Jun 3, 2024

Amy B, having transitioned from individual contributor to manager, along with guest experts, shares insights on avoiding micromanaging as a mid-level manager. They discuss setting clear expectations, empowering teams, and creating a culture of accountability. With emphasis on delegation, building trust, and cultivating an ownership mindset, the podcast explores effective team management strategies and ways to navigate micromanagement and meeting overload in a managerial role.

44:36

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Amy B

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Quick takeaways

Transitioning from micromanaging to strategic mindset is crucial for mid-level managers to lead effectively and empower their teams.

Developing trust, delegating responsibilities, and fostering an ownership mindset are essential for empowering team members and enabling autonomy.

Deep dives

Understanding the Pressure of Mid-Level Managers

Being a mid-level manager comes with immense pressure to coach individual employee performance, lead successful teams, and navigate dynamic environments. The speaker, a seasoned mid-level manager herself, discusses the stress of balancing responsibilities and authority, highlighting the challenges faced by managers at this level.

Connecting Team Work to Organizational Goals

01:03

Delegating Requires Letting Go and Managing Up

01:40

Reframe accountability with language

01:50

Challenges of Communicating Vision and Emotional Tug in Leadership

01:09

Introduction

3min

Navigating the Transition from Individual Contributor to Managerial Role

2min

Effective Delegation and Building Trust

17min

Empowering Teams Through Ownership Mindset

14min

Effective Team Management Strategies and Progress Tracking Methods

2min

Navigating Micromanagement and Meeting Overload

6min

Transitioning to Mid-Level Management: Embracing Humility and Team Focus

2min

Before you became a mid-level manager, you were probably doing some individual contributor work: designing, producing, or selling something. Now your workday is likely focused on people and project management, including ensuring that everyone and everything is fulfilling a vision. Filling this more strategic role can feel uncomfortably abstract, making you want familiar and tangible tasks—to meddle in what used to be your business.

Amy B and her three guests have been there, and they’re here to offer advice on how to let go of your previous tasks and mindset so you don’t fall into micromanaging. Instead, they say, why not set clearer expectations, increase your team’s skills, and create a culture of accountability? They’ll share what they’ve said and done to get those results—and how loosening their grip ended up serving them well and offering relief.

Guest expert:

Lia Garvin runs a consulting business that advises companies on team operations, which was her specialty when she previously worked at Google. She’s the author of The Unstoppable Team and Unstuck.

Resources: