Stop Babysitting, Start Leading Your Team
Parent at home. Set expectations at work.
“Why is it that I need to babysit professional people to do their job correctly? I’m so sick of having to be at the mercy of other people that are completely incompetent.” - Quora
Now, raise a hand if you have ever felt similarly.
I did. I am sure you probably did, too.
Parenting at home is challenging but doing it at work? Some resentment will be brewing if your team struggles with capacity, lack of training, and well, people.
Can incompetence be replaced with a desire to learn? Can you switch from babysitting to resource management, mentorship, and buddy culture?
👉 Direct your energy into leading.
1. Set Clear Expectations
“Just started at this place about 6 months ago. The team is newer and younger than I'm used to dealing with. I had Friday and Monday off this week and expected my team to do a few simple things while I was out.
We were anxiously awaiting some documents from a design partner. They were sent overnight on Thursday. No one responded, no one commented on it, nobody confirmed. Turns out it was the wrong documents! 2 days of design time lost because my team won't open an email without me asking them!” - metthelder via reddit
Expectations without proper direction and handover make your life pretty difficult. Even if it feels like you are micromanaging, sometimes you must agree on who opens the email and responds.
If you expect others to do it, hahaha. Don’t be naive. Instead, talk about how you want to work with your team. Who does what? Who is responsible? Who takes care of things when you’re away?
Invest time in clearly communicating goals, responsibilities, and well, expectations.
It also means you need to provide detailed guidelines for tasks and projects (yes, I know, this is a pain in your neck!) But then you will be fine with stepping back.
Encourage people to talk, ask questions, and put emphasis on collaboration. Silent teams don’t deliver.
The more you communicate at the beginning, the better you build trust and help others deliver without constant oversight.
2. Encourage Peer Recognition and Celebrate Individual Contributions
do yall feel like babysitters? I do nothing but babysit people
Yep, including the guy with the actual title of PM, but then, I was only ever a dumb administrative assistant with no skills because I didn't belong to the fellowship of the ring. 🙄
I still do a lot of that at my current job, but people are more willing to listen here, and not because I now have a PMP. I work with competent people who actually understand the requirements and are willing to work together, instead of being self-serving thinking they'll get brownie points by shoving everyone under a bus. - BohemianGraham via reddit
Teamwork and collaboration help leaders not babysit their teams. Team members, who acknowledge each other contributions, build a positive atmosphere.
Highlight the efforts that led to success and appreciate the specific contributions made by each member regardless of the title and your preferences.
The worst is when one pulls the weight others should do and does not get any credit. Then one babysit the other within a team. It creates tension and frustration.
3. Focus on Outcome Management
do yall feel like babysitters? I do nothing but babysit people
Yup! I’ve been mentoring a new PM on my team, and I’m constantly telling her “if it feels like you’re babysitting, it’s because you are”. The worst is when the people you need output are working on your project as like their 8th side job in their role, so it’s their last priority—which is why PMing is 70% communication, and 30% becoming everyone’s best friend so they’ll finally do their task like it’s a favor. - joseph_sith via reddit
Replying to an email, writing a report, and organizing a meeting. You get lost in everyday tasks. People who focus on managing every single detail of their teams’ work often feel overwhelmed.
Shift your mind and see the big picture. What outcomes are you trying to achieve?
Define what success looks like and communicate desired outcomes rather than the specific steps to get there. You know people like bending processes and doing favors.
Hold regular check-ins to discuss progress and address any roadblocks. On the way, allow team members to choose how they want to achieve the results.
PS: It is helpful to give them tools and resources rather than letting them swim completely alone.
4. Encourage Accountability and Ownership
do yall feel like babysitters? I do nothing but babysit people
Pretty much and just like babies, some of them love me and some cant stand to hear my name for no apparent reason. I'm used to it by now but it can be maddening if I think about it for too long lol. - Whereforeartthoufam via reddit
If you have to babysit, you may deal with a lack of accountability within your team.
It is a huge burden when people don’t do what they should do. Texting everyone all the time on Slack or Teams is time-consuming. You can easily become their pain.
Leading your team instead of babysitting needs to encourage them to take ownership of their work. Not that they come to you all the time and expect you will fix it for them.
The smart way to establish a culture of ownership is to implement:
Regular progress reports
Peer reviews & feedback
Self-assessments
Rewards & recognitions
Lessons learned from failure
Accountability needs initiative and a (growth) mindset. Don’t settle for the role of a chaperone. Your teammates are adults, not your children. Treat them as equally accountable.
TL;DR
Set clear expectations: Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and communication protocols to avoid confusion and ensure tasks are completed in your absence.
Encourage peer recognition: Foster a positive team environment by celebrating individual contributions and promoting collaboration to reduce the need for constant oversight.
Focus on outcomes: Shift from micromanaging tasks to defining and managing desired outcomes. Allow team members flexibility in how they achieve results.
Promote accountability: Build a culture of ownership by implementing progress reports, peer reviews, and self-assessments. Team members need to take responsibility for their work.
Let’s go to work now! Ciao, Ivona
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