Quick Lift: How to Stop Micromanaging and Help Your Team Grow

0:00 Welcome to Loud and Lifted Quick Lift, where we take the biggest takeaways from a full episode and turn them into something practical you can use this week, all in 10 minutes or less. I'm your host, Betsy Hamm. I sat down with Lia Garvin, author of the new manager playbook, to talk about how we can become better managers, and specifically, how we recognize the things we might be doing that are making it harder for our teams to succeed. because we have had plenty of conversations on this podcast about bad bosses. And it's usually pretty easy to think of someone who fits that description. It gets a little bit more uncomfortable when we ask what our own teams would say about us. You might care about your people, have high expectations, and work really hard to support them, but still have habits that are getting in their way. That's what made this conversation so useful. Leah gave us specific things to look for and changes we can actually make. So let's walk through the key takeaways and what you can do with them. The first takeaway is that being good at your job and being good at managing people are different skills. We talked about how often someone gets promoted because they're great at what they do. You're an amazing salesperson.

1:11 So now you get to manage the sales team. You know the business inside and out. So suddenly you have five people reporting to you. But nobody necessarily teaches you how to coach someone, address performance issues, or delegate without taking everything back. I share that early in my career, I wanted to keep moving up. I wanted the title, the opportunity, the compensation, all the things that come with growing your career. But I don't think I fully understood the responsibility that came with having people report to me. And part of that responsibility is accepting that your success now depends on how you help other people succeed. You can't keep measuring your value only by how much work you personally get done. Your action item here is to identify one management skill you need to develop. Be specific.

1:58 Maybe it's do you avoid difficult conversations or you struggle to give useful feedback or you don't know how to delegate clearly. Then decide where you're going to get the support. whether that's asking an experienced leader, working with a coach, or finding a training you can put into practice. You don't have to know everything because you have the title. You just have to be open to keep learning. The second takeaway is that being involved in everything can prevent your team from growing. Leah described three patterns worth paying attention to. You're in every meeting. You're making every decision, and when someone asks for more responsibility, you struggle to give them something meaningful. And I can see easily how this happens. You know the client, you know the history, and you can probably answer the question faster. It feels helpful to jump in. But if you're always there to answer, decide, and solve, when does someone else get to learn? This also affects your own growth. If you want a bigger role, but everything in your current role depends on you, you haven't created much room to move forward. So your action item here is to find one place where you can give someone more ownership this week. It might be leading a meeting, making a decision, or managing a project you have been holding onto. Have a conversation about what success looks like, what they can decide, and when you'll check in. Then give them enough a space to actually do it. And the next time someone asks you what to do, try asking, what do you recommend? Before offering your answer. You may still need to coach them

3:29 through it, but you're giving them an opportunity to build judgment instead of waiting for yours. The third takeaway is that a lack of urgency might actually be a lack of clarity. This one is so practical because I think most of us have experienced the frustration of asking for something and wondering why it hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, the other person may have no idea you expected it today. Leah suggested that when you hand something off, give a deadline, explain why that timing matters and check whether it's doable. So instead of saying, hey, can you follow up with that client? You might say, can you follow up by tomorrow afternoon? We need their approval before we can finalize the order on Friday. What else on your plate might affect this? This gives the person context and a chance to raise a concern before you're both frustrated. And I added another piece during our conversation because I have absolutely learned this one by messing it up. Be clear about who owns it. I've been in leadership meetings where a project touched several departments and I thought we had a good conversation about what needed to happen next. Then we come back a week later and nothing had moved because everyone thought someone else was handling it. Collaboration is great, but we still need one person accountable for moving the project forward. Your action item is to use the next assignment as a clarity check.

4:51 Does someone clearly own it? Have you agreed on the deadline and explained why it matters? Have you asked what might get in the way? That conversation upfront can save a lot of follow -up later. The next takeaway is that your leadership needs to hold up when things get difficult. Leah asked a question I really liked. What qualities do you want to embody as a manager, especially when you're under pressure? Because it's easy to be encouraging and cheerleader -y when everything is going well. It's harder when someone makes a mistake, a deadline gets missed, or you're getting pressure from your own boss. That's when your team learns what they can expect from you.

5:32 If you want to be approachable, what happens when someone brings you bad news? If you want to be direct, can you clearly address a performance issue with someone you really like? If you want to be supportive, can you help someone work through a mistake while still holding them accountable? Your action item is to choose two qualities you want people to experience in your leadership. Then think about a recent difficult situation and ask yourself whether those qualities showed up in your behavior. You might even share what you're working on with your team. But... If you invite feedback, make sure you're prepared to listen when someone gives it. How you respond will affect whether they do it again. The last takeaway is to make your existing conversations more useful. This doesn't require adding another meeting to everyone's calendar. It starts with looking at what you're doing and the meetings you already have. I mentioned in the interview that I've had managers tell me, well, I have weekly one -on -ones with my people. And my question is, OK, but what are you talking about? Because the meeting itself doesn't tell us whether someone is getting what they need. If you spend the entire conversation going through updates, you may never learn where they're struggling, what they're excited about, or what they want to do next.

6:45 Leah shared that she once asked a manager for more responsibility and was offered the opportunity to take notes in a meeting. She wanted a chance to develop, and her manager hadn't understood what she was even asking for. That's a useful reminder to ask a follow -up question instead of assuming we know. Your action item is to leave room in your next one -on -one to ask, what would you like more experience doing? Or where are you getting stuck and what kind of support do you need from me? Then connect what you hear to something you can follow through on. Maybe there's a project they can lead, an introduction you can make, or a decision you need to clarify. Those conversations help you understand your people well enough to support their growth. So as you think about all of this, It can feel overwhelming, but just choose one place to start. You probably recognize something that could use your attention, whether that's holding on too tightly, being unclear about expectations, or rushing through conversations with your team. Pick one action and try it this week. Then pay attention to what changes. Leadership takes practice, and that practice happens in these everyday moments. If you haven't listened to the full conversation with Leah, please do so and you'll find the links for Leah's new manager playbook in the show notes.

8:03 And if you're getting something out of Latin Lifted, please follow the show wherever you listen and leave a review. It helps more women find these conversations. Thanks for listening and until next time, stay loud and keep lifting.