Myth 1: Employees do not want to be managed

[The second part of six on the "Five Myths about Managing People" from Lisa Haneberg's book, High Impact Middle Management.]

Lisa Haneberg says...

"Employees that work for poor managers often feel frustrated, lost, unfocused, and unsuccessful.

"...They want and need their managers to ensure the team is working on the right tasks and to be aware of changes that are happening within the department and the organization.

"...Employees do not respect managers who don't or won't lead.

"...Employees expect their leader to be proactive in planning and in ensuring that all members of the team are performing."

It is a fact that creative professionals hate to be micro-managed, and it is a fact that self-managed teams produce higher quality work, faster. However, this does not mean that team players do not wish to be managed.

Professionals do want and need parameters to verify they are supporting the goals of the company. They just do not want managers looking over their shoulders or holding their hands.

Command and control works only in the service—and not always well there.

In Jack Welch's podcast this week, he and Suzy discuss what they call "Managing with a Velvet Hammer". It sums up well why creative teams need boundaries—but boundaries that do not stifle innovation.

Tell your teams what to do, but do not tell them how to do it. If you have hired professionals—if you have hired adults—they should know how to get the job done better than management. If not, it may be because management is withholding something vital to the team's decision making process—or you may need to hire new people.

Be open and honest with the whys and why-nots, then stand aside and let the professionals get the job done.