I am often asked by managers and business owners to help them justify their micro-management practices. Most often the justification is some real or perceived degree of ineptitude of the employees.

I get paid good money to give advice that will actually help business owners make money. And when it comes to micro-management, I pull no punches. Micro-management is never a good idea or practice. in fact, it is representative of poor management. The usual rationalizations are:

1) I can do it faster myself
2) I can do it better myself
3) By the time I explain it, I might just as well do it myself.

All of these ‘excuses’ are reflective of poor management skills. As a manager, your job is NOT to DO things, your job is to get things done through other people. When you do not delegate, you are holding your people back and stalling your own management career.

In order to develop your people, you must, of course, trust but verify. The whole point is that your job is to develop your people and if you can not do so then either they or YOU have to go.

BUT, if you are the boss, it is unlikely and impractical that it is you that should go. And, most importantly, the point is not to call your management skills into question but to achieve the objective of developing a productive workforce.

Delegation (NOT abdication) is the number one most important management skill. It is the number one management skill that holds managers back from operating at peak performance. It requires planning, nurturing and patience but the return on investment is an inspired, well-developed and vastly more productive workforce.

Here are a few tips on developing your people and your delegation skills:

• Open Door Policy - create an environment in which your employees trust that they can ask questions in order to develop BUT - rather than answering their questions or solving their problems, require that, along with every question or problem, they bring you 2 or 3 solutions that, through discussion, you can help them choose the best
• Communication - among the biggest initial mistakes managers and even business owners make is to assume that the employees understand the task or request. Remember, in communication, it is the responsibility of the person making the statement or request to ensure that the audience has heard and UNDERSTANDS the task or request.
• Follow Up - Do not wait until the task has been completed to find out that your employee went in the wrong direction or took the wrong approach. Create milestones and check in regularly to ensure they are on course. Do so on a timely basis to ensure timely course correction to complete the task on schedule.
• Objectivity - create a clear understanding as to what constitutes success, failure or anything in between BEFORE the task is undertaken. It is unfair to impose your standards after the fact and will be demotivating to both the best and the worst employees.
• Consequences - most managers have no problem with voicing disapproval when the task is not completed on time or to a specified standard (see Objectivity above). It is critical that negative reviews be done privately and objectively. To do otherwise simply feeds the ego of the manager and demotivates everyone else involved. Equally if not more importantly, PRAISE great performance and do it publicly. We all (EVERYONE) openly or secretly crave acceptance and praise. Thus, praising great performance inspires more praise from the person who did the job as well as all of those who witness the praise. Simple rule of thumb: Praise in Public, Criticize in Private.

Always keep in mind that running a company is primarily about managing people and therefore human nature. To paraphrase Mom's sage advice: you attract more good with honey than with vinegar.

And, I will add, that is true regardless of which side of the paycheck you sign.