I was talking to a friend recently who once met Elon Musk.
He asked Elon:
“Are you a micromanager?”
Elon replied:
“No. I’m a nanomanager.”
That got me thinking.
Micromanagement isn’t always bad.
The real skill is knowing when your involvement will help — and when it will hurt.
There are people on my team who are so high-functioning that all they need is:
- A reminder of the company’s direction
- Permission to stop overworking themselves
- Emotional support — not operational interference
That’s when I step back.
But there are other cases — a struggling department, or a function I’m personally proficient in — where getting deeply involved can prevent major problems.
That’s when I step in.
Now, you don’t have to be a specialist in every area.
But you do need to:
- Know how to hire well
- Know how to evaluate performance
- Know when trust is working — and when it’s just avoidance
Leadership isn’t hands-on or hands-off.
It’s knowing which hand to use, and when.
I was talking to a friend recently who once met Elon Musk.
He asked Elon:
“Are you a micromanager?”
Elon replied:
“No. I’m a nanomanager.”
That got me thinking.
Micromanagement isn’t always bad.
The real skill is knowing when your involvement will help — and when it will hurt.
There are people on my team who are so high-functioning that all they need is:
- A reminder of the company’s direction
- Permission to stop overworking themselves
- Emotional support — not operational interference
That’s when I step back.
But there are other cases — a struggling department, or a function I’m personally proficient in — where getting deeply involved can prevent major problems.
That’s when I step in.
Now, you don’t have to be a specialist in every area.
But you do need to:
- Know how to hire well
- Know how to evaluate performance
- Know when trust is working — and when it’s just avoidance
Leadership isn’t hands-on or hands-off.
It’s knowing which hand to use, and when.
