My son is currently in seven-year-old Little League, and they had a practice last night. The head coach was wandering around working on administrative work and he gave these instructions to the boys...

"Go throw it around for a bit"

I think you know what happened next.  6 boys, one baseball, and a muddy field is a recipe for disaster. It quickly turned into a game of tackle baseball one minute and monkey-in-the-middle the next. There was no organization, and someone could have gotten hurt. After about 20 minutes of this, I called the coach over and gave him some feedback on the importance of a structured practice. Much to his credit, he recognized his error, and immediately make corrections.

Leadership is the same way. How many times do you let your team just run round and play tackle baseball in the office. Do you even know the tasks that your team is working on? Being a leader does not mean you get to go to all the meetings, act important all the time and trust that your team will get it done without you. 

Just like these little leaguers need their coach, your employees need you as a leader. Do not mistake direction with micromanagement. I am not talking about being a dictator and looking over their shoulder and knowing everything that they do. But I am talking about simple coaching. Here are some helpful hints to keep your team on task...

• Employees will be more successful if they know what is expected of them. Be sure they all know your expectations as their leader
• Keep a close eye out for those that are losing interest in their job. Are they wandering, taking longer breaks, or show disinterest? They may need you to step in with more challenging tasks or simple clarification
• Be sure to let them have fun at work. The boys had just as much fun in the structured drills as they did when they were just running around - and they got better when they were supervised

Spend some time this week making sure your employees are not playing monkey-in-the middle

I'll see you out there- Pete