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Growing as a manager: from doing everything yourself to true leadership
You once became a manager because you were good at your job. Logical. Only: once you manage a team, the game changes. Then it's less about delivering yourself and more about letting people grow, make choices and bring peace to the hustle and bustle.
So growing as a manager is not a matter of working harder. It is working smarter, communicating more clearly and managing consciously.
1) The switch: from expert to leader
Many (new) managers unconsciously linger in expert mode:
- You solve problems yourself because it's faster
- You jump into every detail
- You watch everything until you get tired of it yourself
Leadership is like making space:
- Room for responsibility in your team
- Room for clear priorities
- Space to coach rather than control
2) How do you stop micromanaging?
Micromanagement rarely comes from bad will. Usually it is stress, time pressure or that little voice: “If I don't do it myself, things will go wrong.”
The solution is not “let go and hope”. The solution is agreeing what good looks like.
Roadmap to break micromanaging:
- Agree on exactly what needs to be ready (quality, deadline, scope)
- Schedule an interim check-in (e.g. shortly after 2 days)
- Let the employee come up with their own proposal first
- Give feedback on approach, not just the end result
3) Setting priorities that your agenda actually follows
Without priorities, you become a conduit as a manager:
- everyone wants something
- everything is urgent
- you will be the bottleneck
Use this simple filter, keeping in mind previously set and specific goals:
- important and urgent: do it now
- important, not urgent: plan and protect
- urgent, not important: delegate
- not urgent, not important: delete
4) Communicating clearly as a manager
Many problems in the workplace come simply from vague communication:
- “Can you take a look at that?” (what is “that”? when? how well?)
- “We have to do something with that.” (Who is “we”?)
The 4 questions for concrete communication:
- what exactly do you expect (scope and quality)?
- by when (concrete deadline)
- what is good enough (setting the bar consciously)
- who makes the final decision? (responsibility)
5) Building trust as a manager
People don't follow a manager because he knows everything. They follow someone who:
- is clear in choices, even if they are unpopular
- honest communication
- brings calm when things get tense
- says what is going on, without drama
- provides tailored motivation and guidance
You shouldn't always be right. You have to give direction.
6) Giving feedback without “that one tough call”
The more often you keep feedback small, the easier it becomes, both for yourself and for your team. Don't wait for the annual review moment?
Feedback phrases that work in practice:
- “This was strong because ...” -> name specific behaviour
- “Next time I would handle this like this ...” -> give alternative
- “What do you need to make this smoother?” -> open dialogue
For difficult feedback conversations:
- talk about behaviour, not the person
- explain impact
- agree on the next step
7) Coaching leadership: stop solving everything
If you always give the solution, your team will remain dependent on you. Coaching leadership means asking better questions so that employees develop ownership themselves.
The 4 strongest coaching questions for managers:
- “What have you tried?” -> Activates own thinking skills
- “What do you think is the best next step?” -> encourages ownership
- “What is the risk if we do this?” -> develops critical thinking
- “What do you need from me to complete this?” -> clarifies your role
8) Growing as a manager is also managing yourself
You cannot be a solid anchor if you are constantly running around overexcited yourself.
Three basics that most managers underestimate:
- protect your agenda (focus blocks, scrape unnecessary meetings)
- learn to say no without guilt
- find a sparring partner (mentor, colleague, coach)
Many managers grow faster if they can occasionally mirror with someone outside the daily pressure. I can provide practical help and guidance on this: down-to-earth, clear, and focused on what works.
Frequently asked questions about growing as a manager
Focus on three things: priorities, clear communication and delegation. Not knocking more hours, but making your team stronger so you don't have to carry everything.
If you often think “I'll do it myself soon” or if people keep asking your approval for everything. Another signal: you are constantly on, but your team is not becoming more independent
Certainty usually comes through structure: clear agreements, effective goals, set check-ins and boundaries. You don't need to know everything, as long as you provide direction.
Then your role is not to “stand above them”, but to organise, cut knots where necessary and remove obstacles. Respect and clarity always win within management.
As soon as you notice your same problems keeps repeating, that your team is not growing or that you yourself are stuck in your role. A CEO coach or executive coach helps you see blind spots, shift gears faster and create a leadership style develop one that suits you.
Grow as a manager under supervision?
Want to discover how a tailored strategy process can accelerate your growth? Schedule a consultation with executive coach Kurt Vervloet and grow like never before.
Kurt Vervloet
Kurt Vervloet is a business coach, blogger and speaker. Since 2017, he has been coaching businesses around the world, ranging from solo entrepreneurs, SME companies to executive management teams at large organisations. His clients choose to work with him because of my proven, no-nonsense approach to optimising and scaling businesses. By achieving great results with his clients, he has already been rewarded with several Awards.
