In a previous post, I wrote the reasons to micromanage. (Yes…there are times…Read that post HERE) Most of the time micromanaging is not a positive characteristic of leadership. Here are some reasons leaders resort to micromanaging:

Frankly, finding that balance has always been difficult for me, and at times in the life of the organization, one area does require greater attention than other areas. The key for me is to always keep the big picture in my mind of what we are trying to accomplish, while recognizing the individual contribution, each area needs to bring to that success. I can never allow one area to cloud out my perspective of the other areas.

I love organizational leadership and I am happy to serve on a healthy team. It’s amazing how many church leaders I know that say their team is not healthy. Recently I started wondering why it is that I claim our team is healthy and it led me to this post. Here, in my opinion, are 10 elements of a healthy organization:

I remember in my undergraduate studies a professor of marketing say that no one could ever replace Sears as the number one retailer. Of course, looking back, that was a naïve comment. It’s easy to assume that Wal Mart will continue their dominance of the retail world, but recently, due to the economy, they have experience greater competition from the discounters and the higher end retailers. What will their future be? Still not certain, consider THIS ARTICLE I read this week.

Obviously, when you address the principle of letting go, which could also be called delegation, it opens a huge question for those wired as completers. The question is: HOW? How do you let go of responsibility when you are wired so heavily towards not doing so?

Letting go of responsibility is not something that comes natural for me.

I score high on Command in the StrengthsFinders assessment.

This video blows my mind. I love big dreams…I love mind-stretching exercises…this one helps me think bigger than I might normally think. It’s 18 minutes long, but it’s worth watching. Whether you agree with this line of thinking or solution to global problems is not the issue here, but feel free to share them. I’m sharing this because I love how big Paul Romer is thinking.

I realize that I am not immune from this vacuum. In fact, with one of my StrengthsFinders being Command, I’m possibly more susceptible than most leaders. It is something I am conscious of, however, and so I have tried to create a system that opens my leadership to enough feedback to ward against the leadership vacuum. Here’s the steps I take:

Many leaders live in a state of cluelessness about the real health of the organization for years, perhaps for all their leadership career. They refuse to solicit feedback, they won’t challenge the status quo, and they believe they are on the top of their leadership game.

One of my weaknesses in leadership is failing to give enough details. I am skilled at painting the big picture. I have tons of ideas. I can usually get people motivated, but often they have no idea what they are to do next. Knowing this about myself, I must constantly ask if people around me understand what I am trying to communicate. This doesn’t come natural for me, but it is something I have tried to practice in my leadership. (You’d have to ask someone on my team if I’m any good at it.)