Striking a Balance: Why Leaders Need to Stay Informed while Resisting the Urge to Control

Why leaders need to keep a pulse on what is happening

Staying informed helps leaders make informed decisions: Leaders need to be up-to-date with the latest developments within their organizations to make informed decisions. This means that they need to be aware of what is happening on the ground, understand the challenges employees are facing, and have a clear picture of how the organization is performing. Without this information, leaders may make decisions that are not in the best interest of the organization, resulting in negative outcomes.

Keeping a pulse on what is happening boosts employee morale: When leaders stay informed about what is happening within their organizations, they show employees that they care about their work and are invested in the organization's success. This, in turn, boosts employee morale and helps to create a positive work environment.

Staying informed helps leaders identify opportunities: By keeping a pulse on what is happening within their organizations, leaders can identify opportunities that may not be apparent from a high-level perspective. This could include identifying new markets or customers, uncovering process improvements, or recognizing areas where additional resources could be beneficial.

Why leaders should resist being controlling

Micromanagement stifles creativity and innovation: When leaders micromanage employees, they are essentially telling them exactly what to do and how to do it. This approach stifles creativity and innovation as employees are not given the freedom to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.

Micromanagement leads to high employee turnover: When leaders micromanage employees, it can lead to a lack of trust and respect between the leader and the employee. This, in turn, can lead to high employee turnover as employees may become disengaged and look for opportunities elsewhere.

Micromanagement is a waste of time and resources: When leaders micromanage employees, it takes up a lot of time and resources that could be better spent on other areas of the organization. It also creates a bottleneck in decision-making as all decisions need to go through the leader, slowing down progress.

Conclusion

Leaders need to keep a pulse on what is happening within their organizations while resisting the urge to be controlling. Staying informed helps leaders make informed decisions, boosts employee morale, and identifies opportunities. On the other hand, being controlling stifles creativity and innovation, leads to high employee turnover, and is a waste of time and resources. Striking a balance between these two is crucial for organizational success, and leaders who can do so are more likely to create a positive work environment and achieve their organization's goals.