At the end of 2019, I lost a close friend who was also my hairstylist in a car accident. It hit me hard, bringing back painful memories of my own accident that left me in a coma and almost took my life. Losing my friend made me feel vulnerable all over again.
In the middle of all this, I needed to find a new hairstylist, so I walked into the nearest salon. As the hairstylist cut my hair, she asked what I did for a living. I told her I worked for a nursery but didn’t say which one. She then started talking about a nursery where some of her clients worked, mentioning how much they enjoyed working there and how impressed she was—so much so that she was even thinking about quitting her job to work there herself.
I was curious, so I asked, “What makes that place so special?”
She told me two things. First, her clients said their supervisors gave them clear instructions on what needed to be done and then let them do their jobs without hovering over them. At that point, I had no idea which company she was talking about.
The second thing that stood out to her was their work schedule. She said people there worked Monday to Friday, which is rare in agriculture since most jobs include Saturdays. She liked that because it would give her more time with her kids. That’s when it hit me, she was talking about my company.
As we kept chatting, she asked, “What’s the name of the company you work for?” When I told her the name, she was shocked. “That’s the same place I was talking about!” Then she asked me what I did there.
I wanted to hear her honest thoughts about my workplace without influencing her, so I just said I did a little bit of everything. I didn’t tell her I was the Operations Manager. I don’t usually bring up my job title outside of work unless it’s necessary. I believe supervisors should stay humble and not let their title make them feel more important than anyone else. If you can stay grounded with friends and family, it’s easier to bring that same attitude to work—humble, respectful, and focused on supporting your team.
With that in mind, I want to share how we got rid of micromanagement and cut our work week from six days to five.
In March 2017, I became the Operations Manager, responsible for overseeing around 200 employees. At that time, we had eight teams, each with 20 to 30 members. While managing large groups was easier than supervising 200 individuals separately, coordinating the efforts of these large teams still posed significant challenges.
To enhance efficiency and effectiveness, I divided the eight large teams into 38 smaller ones, each with four to six members. The goal was to improve coordination, as smaller teams are typically easier to manage and communicate with. However, as the saying goes, the end of one problem is the beginning of another. Instead of overseeing eight large teams, I now faced the challenge of managing 38, each with its own unique dynamics and needs.
Breaking down large teams into smaller ones was just the first step. The next challenge was ensuring that each team could operate independently. I quickly realized that our traditional top-down management style would not be effective. To foster self-directed teams, we needed to shift from a command-and-control approach to a more horizontal structure that grants employees greater autonomy.
Employees loved the self-directed teams because this new management system gave them more autonomy. However, supervisors felt different. They worried that increased autonomy for employees would diminish their authority and make them less important. I recall a couple of supervisors even asking me, “If we have self-directed teams, what will our role be?”
It took time for supervisors to accept self-directed teams, but eventually, they saw the benefits of this approach. By stepping back from micromanaging, they had more time to plan, organize, monitor, and oversee their work areas. This change also allowed them to anticipate potential problems, which helped reduce chaos and lessen their stress. In the end, self-directed teams created a more effective and less stressful work environment for supervisors.
Another challenge was ensuring that each team had the right mix of skills and knowledge, so they could complete their tasks without constantly needing help from their supervisors. To achieve this goal, I needed to balance the strengths and weaknesses of the team members in a way that complemented each other, and that’s what I did.
Over time, I noticed something interesting: even when two people had the same level of knowledge and experience, their attention often focused on different aspects. When something unexpected occurred, some employees quickly sought solutions, while others excelled at identifying potential problems with those solutions.
That’s when I realized that each team needed at least one person who was good at finding solutions and another who made sure the proposed solutions didn’t create even bigger issues. Many supervisors think employees who point out problems with solutions are just being negative, but I see it differently. These employees can save you from major headaches by catching small issues before they turn into big ones, and they can also alert you to the unintended consequences of making potential operational changes.
Once we had the right mix of skills in each team, the next step was to foster their independence. To do this, everyone needed to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. The first step was to provide clear and precise instructions. Work orders were no longer just a list of tasks; they also specified how to complete each task, where it needed to be done, and the order in which tasks should be tackled.
While I firmly believe that employees shouldn’t be overwhelmed with too many instructions at once, they should receive guidance well in advance rather than at the last minute. To create self-directed teams, we shifted from a drop-by-drop instruction system to one that gives employees a clear understanding of their entire workday. Last-minute instructions can cause unnecessary stress; in contrast, when employees know their tasks ahead of time, they feel more in control and can reduce the anxiety that comes from uncertainty.
Another key change was making sure employees understood the bigger picture. When people see how their work helps the company succeed, they naturally become more engaged and motivated. Instead of just going through the motions, they start to take responsibility for their tasks. This better understanding creates a sense of purpose, encouraging employees to put more effort into their work and aim for better results.
I also trained teams to recognize problems and find solutions on their own instead of always relying on a supervisor. To keep things simple, I reminded employees that every task has its own enemies and allies, and to be effective, we must identify them. For example, in agriculture, some insects can harm the plants (enemies), while others help by eating those pests (allies). This shift was a significant change for employees, as problem-solving had previously been the sole responsibility of supervisors. By teaching employees to spot issues and use available resources, we transformed them into problem solvers rather than just messengers.
To maintain a stable and predictable flow of work and ensure that jobs were completed on time, we created a mobile team that could work across all departments. This team was essential for calibrating production, as it is not always linear and can fluctuate due to various factors. They helped us manage unexpected events that required additional support, such as same-day customer orders, equipment issues that slowed down production, and changes in operations due to weather conditions that impacted normal functioning.
Once all 38 teams became self-directed, I worked closely with each one to help them become more efficient. I started with the teams that had the biggest impact on the company’s operations. As we all know, the real experts are the people who do the job every day. Instead of telling them what to do, I helped them create standardized, simple, and trackable systems to measure and improve their results.
As we became more efficient, something surprising happened: we no longer needed to work six days a week—we only needed five. You might wonder, did employees end up making less money since they worked fewer hours? To everyone’s surprise, the company’s CEO adjusted salaries so that no one’s paycheck was affected. That decision made all the difference. If employees had lost money because of our efficiency improvements, they wouldn’t have worked with me to keep improving things.
Giving teams the power to manage themselves completely changed how we worked. Instead of waiting for instructions, employees took the initiative. They solved problems and worked smarter, not just harder. Productivity increased, but more importantly, people felt a sense of ownership over their work. They weren’t just following orders; they were part of something bigger.
As we can see, self-directed teams offer significant benefits for both supervisors and employees. For supervisors, these teams reduce headaches and improve efficiency and productivity. For employees, they create opportunities for growth, collaboration, and a sense of pride in their work. When employees are trusted to manage themselves, they often rise to the challenge. This independence, combined with clear expectations and shared responsibility, not only creates an effective system but also fosters a thriving company culture.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I want to clarify that while I often refer to “I” in the context of executing these changes, the ideas and strategies implemented were not solely my own. They resulted from a collaborative effort that included insights from the CEO, the VP of Operations, and myself. Together, we combined our thoughts and expertise to drive improvements across the teams, ensuring that our approach was well-rounded and effective.
By Miguel Gonzalez
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