We’ve all heard of helicopter parents. They’re those annoying parents that constantly hover and prevent their children from learning to deal with life’s challenges for themselves. Then, these children grow into young adults who are woefully ill-prepared to cope with the realities of an adult working environment.

However annoying, though real, helicopter parents are, helicopter managers are equally, if not more annoying. Helicopter managers hover and prevent their employees from thinking and making decisions, solving problems, and consistently increasing their marketable skills.

“Helicopter managers hover and prevent their employees from thinking and making decisions, solving problems, and consistently increasing their marketable skills.”

What causes managers to hover and become helicopter managers? From my experience, managers often confuse being nice with “helicoptering.” If you intentionally focus on trying to be a nice manager instead of an effective manager (who is nice), you invariably display one, two, or more of these six helicopter manager behaviors:

1 – You can’t let go. You don’t trust that your employees can do the work correctly or as well as you can do it yourself, so you don’t let go of it. You continue to do the tasks your employees are being paid to do. You train them not to do the work they’re being paid to do, and you thereby limit their marketable skills.

2 – You’re an enabler. You give rewards without them having been earned. You inflate performance review ratings and you reward employees with undeserved bonuses such as perfect attendance. You provide bonuses for things that are already basic expectations of their jobs. You cause them to have an over-inflated perception of their skills and marketability.

3 – You’re the mediator. You resolve their interpersonal conflicts for them without coaching them how to talk through issues with each other. You don’t teach them how to bridge differences and build stronger relationships. You limit their interpersonal, social, and team skills.

4 – You’re the problem fixer. You fix their mistakes and the problems they create. You don’t teach them how to think about consequences and to think through problems to identify ways to fix them themselves. You teach them to continue to be dependent upon you to be the problem-fixer. You stifle their critical thinking and problem solving skills.

5 – You don’t trust them or respect their decisions. You reverse decisions they’ve made or require they get your approval before any final decision is made. You don’t enable them to learn how to think through the decision-making process and take responsibility for the decisions made – good or bad. You don’t allow them to face — for themselves — the consequences of a poor decision.

6 – You don’t hold them accountable. You back away from holding an employee accountable for their own choices and actions. As soon as they whine, argue, cry, or offer an excuse, you back off and tell yourself you’re probably over-reacting and being too harsh. You feel guilty for their poor behavior. You tolerate their poor behavior and allow it to disrupt your entire team.

How did you do? Are you a helicopter manager who is stifling your employees’ growth or are you a manager who is allowing your employees and their skills to soar?

Copyright MMXV – Liz Weber, CMC, CSP – Weber Business Services, LLC – www.WBSLLC.com – +1.717.597.8890

Liz and her team work with leaders to create focused plans for their organizations’ future. Then they teach leaders how to make their plans a reality.

Known as The Dragon Lady of Leadership Accountability® for her candor, clear insights and straightforward approach, Liz Weber is a sought-after management consultant and seminar presenter. She is one of only 13 people in the U.S. to hold both the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designations—the highest earned designations in two different professions. She also holds an MBA in International Business, and serves as a national board member and Strategic Planning Chair for The National Speakers Association.

Liz has supervised business activities in 139 countries and has consulted with organizations in over 20 countries. She has designed and facilitated conferences from Bangkok to Bonn and Tokyo to Tunis. Liz has taught for the Johns Hopkins University’s Graduate School of Continuing Studies, as well as the Georgetown University’s Senior Executive Leadership Program.

Liz is also the author of several leadership publications:

Something Needs to Change Around Here: The Five Stages to Leveraging Your Leadership
Don’t Let ‘Em Treat You Like a Girl—A Woman’s Guide to Leadership Success 1st-3rd Editions
Nuts & Bolts on Business
Leading From the Manager’s Corner
What You Need to Stop!

Liz’s Manager’s Corner column appears monthly in several trade publications, association newsletters, and internet resource centers for executives.