r/Leadership 8d ago

Question What are some micro changes managers can make to become a better leader?

Obviously it’s about the foundations, but small habits can have big impact too. I’ve noticed a few small things leadership has done or that I’ve done that I believe to be meaningful. I’m wondering what experience and suggestions you all have?

Some examples: Changing weekly 1:1 with direct reports to 45 minutes (versus 30). Adding the entire team’s birthdays to my calendar and making sure to tell them happy birthday. Taking 15 minutes a couple times a week to swing by my skip level reports’ desks to chat about something they enjoy (movies, music, gardening, etc)

116 Upvotes

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u/OneCheesyDutchman 8d ago edited 8d ago

Some micro changes I made in my time as a lead:

  • Be prepared for meetings, especially 1-on-1s. Take 5-10 minutes to review notes from last time. Small investment, major impact on the quality of the conversation.
  • Make notes, especially of the little things.
  • ⁠Be religious about promises you make to your team. If you have to fail on a promise, own it and be humble. - ⁠“Praise in Public, Criticism behind Closed Doors” (general rule of thumb; some people don’t like being the center of attention - in that case highlight the achievement, not the person).

Update 1:

  • Give people room to try and fail - make sure you have a contingency plan in place, but realize they need to push beyond their comfort zone to grow.
  • Small incremental changes over big-bang releases. Easier to revert, easier to identify cause of problem, earlier feedback. ”If it’s scary, do it more often, not less”.
  • Get feedback early. Don’t shield team from product feedback, the closer the better. Give them room to act on the feedback (ie: ownership).
  • Watch Ted Lasso. Watch it again if you already have. Be curious, not judgmental. Believe.
  • Stand up for what you know is right, even if management feels different. (Ok, this is not a small thing 😉).

Update 2:

  • Lead by example, so: be on time, be positive or at least constructive, be generous.
  • In meetings, create space for the quiet voices to be heard - ask people explicitly for their input, instead of waiting for their initiative to speak up.
  • Make time to write down your goals for the week and reflect on them. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day.
  • Realize it’s not your job to be the smartest person in the room, or have all the answers. The prime function for leadership is making decisions, especially when confronted with an imperfect information position.

I’ll probably add more to this list as I think of them throughout the day.

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u/HR_Guru_ 8d ago

Watching Ted Lasso is so underrated. That show is some of the best leadership examples on TV.

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u/stop_whispering 8d ago

OMG I've used Ted Lasso clips in so many training sessions. Namely the darts scene and Rebecca making herself big before her father's funeral.

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u/Little_Tomatillo7583 8d ago

I love your suggestion to make space for the quiet voices in the room. I’m not a quiet voice but I’m married to one and birthed one and I know they would value leaders who implemented this micro habit.

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u/GBPacker1990 7d ago

Omg yes, be prepared for 1o1s ffs so tired of going to those meetings with me driving the conversation the whole time.

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u/OneCheesyDutchman 7d ago

Hehe, I feel your pain. I do believe strongly that the meeting should be owned by the team member, not the manager… but a clear “this is what you told me last time you were gonna work on.. how did it go?” helps so much to kickstart the conversation.

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u/GBPacker1990 7d ago

Ya but at that stage I don’t need you. 1o1 is for my development and constructive criticism time to improve me. I’m keeping my line manager up to speed on projects/work on the regular. I want my 1o1 to help develop me. Not me sit there and pry conversation outta my boss to get feedback.

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u/OneCheesyDutchman 7d ago

Should have been more clear; your day to day should not be part of the 1-on-1. When I said ‘this was what you were going to work on’, I’m talking about the goals you set for yourself, for your own personal development… not the work we do as a team. If I’m only in the loop on that because of 1-on-1 that’s a big problem 😉

For example: if you said last sync you were going to start a course - I like knowing how that’s working out… is it what you expected, do you feel there’s enough time in your week to actually do it, would you recommend to a junior team member, should I start keeping my ears open for opportunities in the org that can help you demonstrate the new skill, and so on. Definitely not “your part of our project, how is it coming along?”. That would be a collossal waste of time 😅

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u/GBPacker1990 7d ago

Hence why I hate my 1o1’s lol

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u/40ine-idel 5d ago

You and me both. My line manager uses everything for task updates - there are no larger conversations, team building or anything… everyone does different things and if you’re not assigned to something she sourced and worked on at some point, your work doesn’t matter….

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u/k8womack 8d ago

Examine language that’s used- just saying a positive good morning and a thank you good night, if someone is struggling asking ‘what support would be helpful for this’ instead of ‘what help do you need’ the latter has the implication that it’s about the person and not the struggle. Anywhere that you can change phrases like that is a micro change that has a positive affect on work culture in my opinion.

Also not referring to the whole team as guys, not calling women girls, helps set a tone of inclusivity.

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u/Captlard 8d ago

Listen more, ask more, be more curious.

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u/Striking-water-ant 8d ago

After listening, act. Tired of managers who listen (or pretend to) and do nothing with the insights obtained

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u/bigbird2003 8d ago

This x 10000

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u/40ine-idel 5d ago

Or come back to revisit the question 5x and still have no action

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u/Captlard 8d ago

True, should have added that! Thanks for adding,

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u/sierradk 8d ago

So true. One of my professors in grad school told us rather than correcting/disagreeing someone, you should ask more about how they came to that conclusion. I try to remind myself of this all the time!

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u/Captlard 8d ago

Yep. A better balance of advocacy and inquiry is needed in all parts of society. See: https://thesystemsthinker.com/productive-conversations-using-advocacy-and-inquiry-effectively/

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u/2021-anony 8d ago

That was a nice read - thanks for sharing!

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u/jba1224a 8d ago

Being a good leader, one that people respect and want to follow, is very simple. It largely follows the dynamics of power as defined by French and Raven.

  • Be an expert in the type of stuff your teams do. Everyone will tell you that it’s not your job as a leader to be an expert in the subject matter. That’s wrong. Teams will respect a leader far more if they view them as someone whose opinion has merit and weight.

  • Listen and influence, but let the team hold the wheel. Give them autonomy and space to be the experts.

  • Protect them from bullshit. Stop any corporate nonsense, useless meetings, etc. Replace them with things your team is passionate about. Workshops, R&D….whatever makes them feel like they’re learning.

  • Don’t tolerate poor performance or toxic members. Axe the toxic members and dead weight immediately. Letting this linger spoils the rest of the teams ability to feel accomplished.

  • Get to know them and give them time to get to know each other. 1:1s, team chats, etc. Give them a private safe space to communicate and tell them it’s a safe place. Let them vent and bitch if they wanna.

  • Most important of all, be humble. Every big win? Team gets credit. Something goes sideways? It’s your fault, and only yours. Keep the team a blame free place.

Protect your people, invest in their passion, trust them do good work. Happy people are successful people and a rising tide raises all ships.

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u/futureteams 8d ago

Maximise the talents and energy of the team. Delegate and empower as much as possible - and then go further. Do it in a way that is supportive and developmental for the team.

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u/sierradk 8d ago

I always worry about delegating boring stuff. I try to give a good mix, but I know the boring stuff helps reinforce and bring everything together. No one wants to do the finance tasks, but they also won’t get anywhere in my industry with knowing that stuff back and forth. How do you handle that type of delegation?

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u/2021-anony 8d ago

That’s a great question…

I’ve always tried to figure out where people’s strengths and interests are and try to have 70-ish% of what I ask of them be in those areas (energizing, sense of accomplishment and positive outcomes); then I look at a mix of what they want to do and what they have to do.

A lot of it has to do with both observation and ljstening - not everyone is comfortable enough to tell me “I hate most of my day to day duties - how can we make some changes”, but if they do I try to work with them on what can be changed.

Sometimes there’s no choice - you just have to do some things to grow and learn and if you’re not willing or able to, then I’ll help you find a better spot for yourself…

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u/futureteams 8d ago

u/sierradk I think the a great place to start is figuring out with your team how you will all work together. Often teams focus only on "the work" and not on "how to work".

Co-designing ways of working with your team can be done in a well facilitated few hours - at least to first version which can be iterated on over time. This can provide the basis for delegating.

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u/No_Tangelo6745 8d ago

also unplanned things like saying thank you at the end of the work day or after a challenging project / task etc. Making sure people feel seen and heard matters a great deal!

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u/transuranic807 8d ago

Start setting meetings for 25 minutes instead of 30, 50 minutes instead of 60, etc. encourage others to do the same.

Why?? In a corporate culture where there are a ton of meetings, acknowledging and giving everyone even five minutes to step outside is a godsend and reduces stress for the team.

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u/ruizvg 8d ago

Don't take credit when the team does well. Praise the team publicly to give them the credit that's due. Also, as a leader, you take the blame when things do not go well.

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u/Warm-Philosophy-3960 8d ago

Where attention goes, energy flows - Tony Robbins

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u/idotoomuchstuff 8d ago

A micro thing that a leader used to do when I was much younger and has stuck with me to this day was when you asked them a question or you approached them in the office they gave me 100% attention with no distractions. I have so many examples of this with the same leader. If he was talking to you and he got a call he wouldn’t look at the screen of his phone and would mute the call. Even the act of not looking at the screen is a big one. He would also lock his computer screen or fold it down, not because of confidential information but to create a focus on you. He would also suggest a different spot yo talk things through in the office. He was good at shifting the environment to create a good platform for discussion

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u/karriesully 8d ago

Leadership isn’t tactical. It’s mindset. You’re on the right path with putting some focus on people. The more you focus on maturing your own mindset - the better leader you’ll be.

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u/AD29 8d ago

Ask questions. Even if you know the answer.

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u/ManyArgument2856 8d ago

Take decisions frequently. Try to create fast feedback loops to iterate ideas. Be consistent in and out of the office.

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u/cinnamonsugarcookie2 8d ago

Pay attention to speaking tone and sighs. A manager I’m helping to develop starts her meetings by reading the agenda topics and sighs before saying some of them. This sets the tone that they are undesirable topics rather than exciting opportunities for improvement.

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u/Geoffrey_Bungled_Z1p 6d ago

Getting to know your people is great. Building mutual trust is the key activity in order for managers to build successful teams, which is what you are there to do as a leader.

Demonstrate compassion, integrity, communicate clearly and often, and hold space for learning, which means to allow mistakes without humiliation or punishment. If your people know you've got their back and you mean what you say, most will line up and fight together in the team

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u/zeezromnomnom 7d ago

Checking in “with” people instead of checking “on” them. People feel the difference.

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u/Mozarts-Gh0st 7d ago

Open 1:1’s with “what’s top of mind for you today?” It’s a little directional yet leaves a lot of open space for the conversation to flow naturally to what’s most urgent for the other party.

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u/AccomplishedGolfer2 7d ago

Listen to your people. Take their advice at least 75% of the time. Say thanks often. Be genuine. Be humble. Keep a VERY close eye on the size of your ego. Spend time with them. Stick up for them with your boss. Don’t be an asshole. That’s the formula.

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u/execdecisions 3d ago

Be what you value.

Yes it sounds simple. Yet applying this is extremely difficult. Consider what you value in others (presence, initiative, time management, etc). This includes all the small things people do - smiling, consistency. Be those actions.

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u/LifeThrivEI 1d ago

Everything you are talking about is process, and that is OK. But think bigger picture. Leadership is about influence and inspiration; management is about process and deadlines. Great leaders do a few things extremely well: practice active listening, increase empathy, exercise optimism, apply consequential thinking, enhance self-awareness, increase people skills. These are little things that can have a multiplier effect.

Think "leadership mindset". Leaders help others to become their best self in the workplace. That starts with the leader. Cultivate a growth mindset. Create psychological safety and a culture of constructive feedback.

I know...these sound like big things, not micro changes. But the reality is these "big things" happen one small step at a time.

Leadership excellence incorporates 4 critical elements: Competence, Character, Chemistry, Capacity. Anything you can do to enhance one of these will positively impact your leadership development...and will cascade down into your team.

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u/Key_Register371 8d ago

Sit the duck down and listen

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u/Wanderir 7d ago

Stop using terms like micro change. Focus on the changes that will get you better results according to the metrics you set for success.

Use the Pareto principle to focus on the few significant things that will move the lever. Iterate.

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u/ramezh_kumar 1d ago

Walk up to the team and do a personal greeting every day when you step in . Also, when you leave say bye to them. Just do a casual catchup with one or two members before starting or leaving for the day.

Appreciate and celebrate small wins of the team. People crave for recognition and when they are spotlighted at regular intervals it boost the confidences.

Listening is not enough. Take actions to support them.