Dive Deep != Micromanaging

You’ve said it. You’ve heard others say it. You are not quite sure how you feel about it.

“So-and-so is a micro-manager. He/she’s always in my shorts and doesn’t let me just do my job.”

This week’s Amazon Leadership Principle tip may help you navigate this common meme more effectively.

The following has been my pinned tweet for the past year:

“The more details you know, the better questions you can ask. The better questions you ask, the faster everyone gets clarity of thought. Better clarity of thought leads to better decisions. By everyone. Essentially.”

@ckindel

Great leaders know the details. They are willing to roll up sleeves, dive in, and get their hands dirty. Folks confuse dive deep with micro-managing. This is not accurate.

Diving deep is about understanding the details which enable robust debate, articulate questions, and clear thinking. Better debate, people asking great questions, and clear thinking mean better decisions that stick.

Diving deep is about setting up auditing mechanisms where leaders can be closely connected to the details without being overwhelmed and without needing to control minutiae. Auditing is a skill where leaders who exemplify Dive Deep test assumptions and then step back to let owners own what they own.

The Dive Deep LP is highly coupled to Ownership. Leaders who demonstrate strong Ownership are great at proactively helping peers and managers dive deep into areas. Instead of saying “you’re micromanaging me” a strong owner says “let me figure out how to get you the details you need”.

So next time you find yourself feeling like someone is micro-managing you, consider how you can dive deeper into the details that matter to the areas you own and pro-actively help the “micro-manager” get those details.