Three Signs That You’re Under-Managing Your Employees

Taking a “hands-off” approach to leadership can work well, especially when leading a team of skilled experts who are motivated and capable of working on their own. But when hands-off leadership goes too far, or when it’s used with the wrong kind of team, lots of things can go wrong.

Of the four main styles of leadership: Steward, Diplomat, Idealist and Pragmatist, the Steward leader most rarely experiences the negative issues associated with undermanaging.

Steward leaders aren’t micromanagers, but they do believe that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and they move only as fast as the whole chain will allow, taking care and time to help those employees that struggle to keep up. (You can take this quiz to find out if you’re a Steward, Diplomat, Idealist or Pragmatist).

The following are three warning signs that you may be undermanaging. If you find yourself facing any of these issues, try using the listed techniques, favored by Steward leaders, to correct the situation.

[Read more]