My management philosophy

My management philosophy is fairly simple. I hire smart people and empower them to make the right decisions.

The way I view managing people is the opposite of micro-managing. I believe micro-managing is possibly the worst way you can treat your employees as well as the worst thing you can do for your time. I view micromanaging someone as an insult to their intelligence and their abilities.

I’ve heard some people say that I am a hands-off manager. There’s probably a bit of truth to that, but I’d like to say that I lead with trust. I empower my team to make decisions and move the ball forward. If there’s something that I need to decide on, I’ll let them know.

The power to make a decision doesn’t mean that they will always make the right decision all the time, but if I hired right for the role and provide the proper framework, they should make the right decision more often than not. Mistakes are a crucial learning tool.

Of course, where things always go wrong is when you hire the wrong type of people for your management style. I’ve made that mistake before. Some people do not handle the freedom well and prefer a manager that’s a bit more hands-on and puts more guardrails up. That’s okay, but they’re just not a fit for my team. There’s plenty of other companies and teams that have that.

Lastly, once you have the hire, it’s also my job to make sure that there is a proper framework for working. The captain still needs to steer the ship in the right direction. The framework needs to be non-restrictive and still allow the team member creative freedom. Employees need to be given the chance to thrive and prove themselves through their work.