How Does a Business Owner Lead Instead of Micro-Manage?

I've worked in and around plenty of people during my day, as I'm sure you have, that had the title of leader. And yet, the fruit of their work was a little suspect based on their title. In reality, we could call it micromanagement. But how do we know the difference?

Hey, it's Scott Beebe with Business On Purpose. Let's talk about that briefly here for about four or five minutes. I think it'll be really helpful in understanding how you can motivate a team, a workforce, and keep those separate between leadership and micromanagement. Let's call it out when it is. Sometimes we just have weak moments and we get into that. But we want to be clear.

Leadership is not an abstract concept; it's a practical skill—something you can hone that’s essential for success in any business. As a leader, your primary role is to equip your people with the knowledge and tools they need to handle ongoing challenges and then proactively sharpen those tools through what we call the RPMs of great leadership: Repetition, Predictability, and Meaning.

It’s important to understand that many problems in business are actually cyclical. They're perennial. They don’t disappear—they resurface over and over again. You might punch chaos in the mouth, but it just goes off into the woods and comes out the other side, deceived and dressed up in another costume. Chaos is a constant threat. It’s an enemy. It hates you. And that chaos is a threat in any business and business environment. You might successfully fend it off temporarily, but eventually, it will return. Understanding that truth is key to effective leadership.

Instead of hoping with your fingers crossed that problems are just going to vanish, a wise leader prepares their business to manage those recurring issues. Consider the example of a European soccer match. In fact, at the time of this recording, a champion was just crowned in the Premier League. The presence of stewards and security personnel at those events illustrates how these organizations equip themselves to handle predictable challenges.

You’ll see them in little yellow coats all over the stadium. We actually went and visited a top-league match in Greece just last year, and we were amazed at the number of armed guards around. Why? Because they were anticipating predictable problems. Rather than attempting to eliminate rowdy behavior entirely, they developed systems and trained personnel to manage those situations as they arise. They realize people are going to be idiots at soccer games from time to time.

The scenario translates well into our business communities. As a leader, your job is to outfit your team with the right tools and knowledge to tackle recurring problems. Think of it as filling an empty tool belt for each team member. You're not just providing the tools—you’re also teaching them how to use the tools and reminding them to keep those tools sharp and ready.

Leadership, then, can be defined this way—ready? You may want to write this down:
Leadership is the equipping of individuals with knowledge and tools to manage perennial problems, and the proactive sharpening of those tools.

Notice we don’t use the word solve, but manage perennial problems, while also proactively sharpening those tools. It’s an ongoing cycle of RPM—preparation and improvement.

Let me read it again:
Leadership is the equipping of individuals with knowledge and tools to manage perennial problems and the proactive sharpening of those tools.

For business owners, embracing this perspective can be super beneficial. Recognize that challenges will resurface and focus on building a team capable of managing those issues. Your role is to continually stock your team’s tool belts with the right resources and ensure they know how to use them.

It’s important to distinguish this from micromanagement. Effective leadership empowers team members to handle problems independently using the tools and knowledge you’ve provided—assuming you’ve provided them. Micromanagement, on the other hand, involves excessive control and can hinder growth and efficiency.

Usually, the person who leans toward micromanagement is the one who has never spent the time to get all the systems, processes, and methodology out of their head. Instead of laying it out and saying, “Hey, this is the ethos of the business we're building,” they try to ensure—and I’ve been guilty of this—that everything is done exactly their way, every time, 120%.

In reality, we have a core value called 85/15. The business provides 85%, but we need you to fill in the gap of the 15%. That’s more leadership through RPMs: Repetition, Predictability, and Meaning.

When you adopt this leadership style—the RPM leader—you create a resilient organization capable of navigating the recurring challenges of your industry.

Hey, it’s real simple. If you want to hop on a 15-minute call with one of our coaches to talk about this—because you're struggling with the difference between leadership and micromanagement—do it. Go to businessonpurpose.com/ask. Each one of our coaches has set aside a few minutes each week for these conversations.

And if you want to know how you can work with us, just ask—we’ll tell you.
businessonpurpose.com/ask

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