Intervene with Precision: Zooming In as a Leader Without Micromanaging
- 1. Zoom In Without Taking Over The Art of Strategic Depth for Product Leaders VP, Product Mamuna Oladipo
- 2. Am I overstepping? Or am I stepping in because it matters?
- 3. The deeper signal isnʼt in the metrics What metrics show Where metrics live Delivery speed NPS Bugs resolved Trust issues Edge cases Misalignment
- 5. Micromanagement ■ Rewrite specs ■ Focuses on control ■ Fixes for the team ■ Creates fear ■ Interrupts ownership ■ Spot-checks outputs Strategic Depth ✓ Asks clarifying questions ✓ Focuses on context ✓ Surfaces root causes ✓ Builds trust ✓ Strengthens ownership ✓ Connects execution to outcomes Micromanagement vs. Strategic Depth One leads with solutions. The other leads with curiosity.
- 6. Instead of… 1. This doesnʼt make sense. 2. Why would you do it like that? 3. We need to fix this. 4. Thatʼs not what we agreed on. 5. Just do it this way. Try Saying… 1. Can we talk through this from the userʼs lens? 2. What was the context that shaped this approach? 3. Whatʼs the underlying pattern we should solve for? 4. Where do you think weʼve diverged from the original goal? 5. What trade offs would that introduce? Language Shift that Builds Trust Itʼs not just what you ask – itʼs how you ask it.
- 7. When to Zoom In Small decisions now will cause bigger problems later Cross-functional teams are solving different problems The goals are unclear and inconsistently understood Ambiguity Misalignment Compounding Issue
- 9. What’s quietly worrying you right now? Signal Surfacing Listen closely for untested assumptions. Mirror to clarify. Assumption Checking Where are we moving fast, but maybe thinking shallow? Pattern Recognition 1:1 Coaching
- 10. What to Do This Week Small Moves. Big Leverage. Pick one project Go 2 layers deeper. Surface signal before it becomes a problem. Spot One Pattern Whatʼs repeating across projects that needs more depth? Ask One New Question In your next 1:1, try: “Whatʼs quietly worrying you?”