Being an effective leader is not easy, and some of the behaviors you think might be helping employees could actually be hurting their performance. For example, you may think frequent meetings help you and your team stay on the same page, but they’re probably getting in the way of work.

“Meetings need to create value for employees, such as brainstorming ideas, reaching a crucial decision, or coordinating work. If it’s about anything else, skip it,” says Syed Balkhi on Business Insider. “Give your employees back their time by choosing your meetings strategically.”

Additionally, there is such a thing as giving employees too much information. Vague directives are a problem, but an unfiltered stream of information can do just as much to derail employee success.

“‘Drinking from the firehose,’ as many people call it, is overwhelming and decreases productivity,” Balkhi says. “Deliver information in smaller chunks and through multiple channels to give them a chance to assimilate the information better.”

And while some level of managerial control is useful, micromanaging subordinates causes disruptions.

“Preventing employees from owning their work, their domain or their role stifles their productivity and abilities and reduces their appetite for innovation and work,” Balkhi says. “Let go and give your employees the freedom to work. Offer guidance and suggestions, not mandates and orders.”

Optimizing Instagram Stories With Analytics

Learn how to measure Instagram Stories analytics and which metrics to track so you can optimize Stories to achieve your brand's goals. https://t.co/8SdfC8AOqi

— Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite) June 24, 2020

Instagram stories can have a significant impact on your brand’s performance. To take full advantage of them, use the app’s built-in analytics feature. To get started: Go to your Instagram profile, hit the menu icon on the upper right, tap Insights, and then scroll down to Stories.

“Track Instagram insights over time so you can pinpoint top performing posts. If you spot content that outshines other Stories, look for ways to recreate it,” says Katie Sehl on the Hootsuite blog. “Turn successful ideas into concepts. Run polls or quizzes around different themes or spin a successful tutorial into a recurring series.”

Other Links of Note

Amid COVID-19, some are saying they won’t visit cultural organizations such as museums. But it goes beyond current safety concerns, says Know Your Own Bone’s Colleen Dilenschneider.

How can nonprofits build loyal partnerships? For one, be sincere, says Stephanie Vlachos on the Bloomerang blog.

The events industry has changed drastically the last few months. How can you adapt? Smart Meetings looks at the neuroscience secrets that professionals can use.

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