How the Best Leaders Inspect without Micromanaging to Drive Performance

You don't even need direct reports to know the truth behind the leadership principle; 

Leaders must inspect what they expect.

The reason is that you have sped on the highway and didn't see blue lights behind you.  You had a teacher give homework that wouldn't be checked, and you didn't even think of doing it.

However, while the principle is true, there is a fine line between inspection and micromanagement. 

What Does it Mean to Micromanage

Inspection and micromanagement, while similar, differ in their approach and impact on employee engagement and productivity. 

For the sake of clarity, let's clarify what micromanaging means. Webster defines it as; "micromanaging, especially with excessive control or attention to details." It has a negative connotation both in the marketplace and to employees because it limits the autonomy to complete jobs or tasks, which demotivates team members. It's often driven by a hunger to control and led by a fear of failure. 

One of the biggest problems with micromanagers is that they focus on what is minor instead of what's major.  They lean into their preferences instead of performance. 

Micromanagers lean into their preferences instead of performance.  

The hard truth is that micromanagement is arrogant.  It's a public display that the manager doesn't trust a team member to learn to do something as well as the manager. Micromanagement signals:

• "You don't trust others to do it right." 
• "You believe no one else can do it as well as you can."
• "You need to control every detail and install your preferences."

Why is Inspection a Key to Accountability?

On the other hand, inspection evaluates results and process adherence at the macro level, ensuring that standards are maintained and outcomes are delivered.  It is a technique leaders use to coach, provide feedback, and identify what team members are doing well or what needs to improve without delving into the minute details of a team member's task. 

Said differently, inspection is a precursor to performance because it fosters a culture of accountability. 

Inspection is a precursor to performance because it fosters a culture of accountability. 

Proper inspection requires clarity around standards (Policy, Process, or Performance) and allowing team members the freedom to meet or exceed those standards with frequent inspection points to ensure alignment with team priorities. 

Q Squared for Inspection

One of the concepts in the free workshop How to Increase Accountability On Your Team, when teaching managers how to increase accountability through inspection, is called Q squared. The Q's stand for quantity of inspection and quality of performance.  

When the quality of performance goes up, the quantity of inspection goes down.  Conversely, when the quality of performance is low, the quantity of inspection goes up.

If you take a lot of time inspecting low performers, you must move on.  Wasting time on low performers who are unwilling or unable to make the jump is hurting your medium and high performers. It's a mistake too many managers make repeatedly.

Improving Performance Through Inspection

Inspection in leadership is more art than science.  However, there is no denying it's importance to deliver team performance. 

Ronald Reagan said, "Trust, but verify." General Bruce C. Clarke wrote, "An organization does well only those things the boss checks." Those by themselves are enough for me, but if you want something to write on your whiteboard today, write this: 

Consistent inspection leads to consistent results. 

You have to find the balance that works for you and your team. However, it must be about about performance inspections and not micromanagement preferences.  

John's free leadership newsletter that comes out every Thursday: To get complex leadership skills broken down into simple principles, join 15,000 other leaders by subscribing to my free newsletter here.

Accelerate Leadership Program: Are you ready to elevate your leadership skills and make a lasting impact on your team and organization? The Accelerate Leadership Program, typically offered exclusively to companies, is now available to individuals for a limited time in two flexible formats. Learn more here.

About the Author: John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success. You can follow him on Instagram @johngeades.