Stop "Fire and Forget" Management: The Difference Between Auditing and Micromanaging
Autonomy is not neglect. Here is how to audit your team's thinking without dictating their work.
You think you are empowering your team, but you might actually be neglecting them.
I recently identified a dangerous pattern with two different C-Level leaders. I call it "Fire and Forget Management".
Because they were terrified of being labeled "micromanagers," they hired good people and then completely disappeared. They said, "Just go do your job, and I'll leave you alone".
But autonomy without oversight isn't leadership - it's negligence. And it inevitably leads to blind spots, lost loyalty, and crisis .
In this episode, I break down the Strategic Auditing Framework. You will learn exactly how to stay involved in your team's work without taking over their work.
In this episode, you will learn:
-The "Good" Trap: Why asking your team "How are things going?" is a useless question (and the specific follow-ups you need to ask instead) .
-Micromanaging vs. Auditing: The critical distinction. Micromanaging is dictating how to do the work; Auditing is verifying the thinking behind the work .
-The "Deep Dive" Technique: How to pick one specific artifact (a job description, a dashboard, a project plan) and review it with your employee to teach them strategic thinking .
-Strategic Questioning: The specific questions to ask (e.g., "What is the critical path?" or "What is the biggest risk?") that force your team to level up .
-The "Development Theme": How to identify one personality blind spot (like resisting change) and coach a team member through it over a 6-month period .
💪 The Challenge:
Pick one direct report and look at your calendar for your next 1-on-1.
-Stop Surface Level: Do not just accept "Everything is good."
-The Audit: Pick one specific project or document.
-The Deep Dive: Open it up on the screen together and ask: "Walk me through your thinking here.".
Resources:
-Join the Conversation: Join our Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on LinkedIn or Facebook
-Get Live Coaching: Move from listening to doing inside the Growth Leaders Collective. Start your $1 trial at RMichaelAnderson.com/GLC
