02 Jun Entrepreneur’s Tip of the Week: Macromanage

As I talk about in my new book, The Entrepreneur’s Growth Startup Handbook, there are nine key personality traits that I believe make it more likely that you can succeed in starting and successfully growing a business. One key one: being a macromanager. This is of course the opposite of being a micromanager. Some say extreme micromanaging can result from insecurity or other emotional challenges. The best entrepreneurs try to spend their time focusing on the big picture, strategic decisions and key hires, and leave the rest to others. You can monitor them, but no need to watch their every move. In dealing with the then-Soviet Union, President Ronald Reagan used to say, “Trust but verify.”

Of course in macromanaging, keep an eye on your client and customer relationships. If you leave your sales or technical team to deal with them, and you have not established the importance of your involvement and value add to the customer, you have a risk that your team walks out with that relationship.

But to have the greatest chance at success, train your people well and let them do their thing. As someone who is not a natural macromanager, I have learned a trick I call “close your eyes and pray.” It’s not meant to be flip, it means I have sufficient trust in my people to keep my clients satisfied and well-served.