Leadership & Career

The intensity with which you grip a pen as you sign a contract or write a check says something about how you feel at that moment. The question is whether you’re aware of those feelings.

When it comes to assigning projects, do you spend most of your time telling employees how to do the work? Or do you give them clear goals and guidelines, then get out of the way? Micromanaging is an inefficient use of a manager’s time. It signals distrust of employees and inhibits them from taking initiative. Here are key signs of micromanaging and advice on how to reduce it.

Some managers assume the best way to spur innovation is to convene a brainstorming meeting or focus group of customers. But such groups can block creativity even as they try to promote it.

Wes, a manager at an electronics manufacturer, tells us about his confrontation with another senior executive.