????能夠讓商業忠告類圖書一致認同的觀點并不多，但它們幾乎都會給高管提供這樣一條忠告：專注于大的事情，將細節交給團隊。

????但我在整個職業生涯都采取了截然相反的做法。而且我相信，我到目前取得的成功，很大程度上要歸功于這種管理方法。

????最近在與一些年輕CEO們合作時，我強烈建議他們嘗試一下我“關注小事”的管理方法。雖然這似乎有違常識，好像我在誘惑這些CEO變成最可怕的怪物——微觀管理者。但實際上這種方法會帶來相反的效果。事實上，我發現這種管理方法能夠建立起員工的信任，讓最優秀的員工有最好的表現，并且最重要的是，它有助于建立一支高效的團隊。

????首席執行官，尤其是公司創始人，往往發現自己在兩種相互矛盾的沖動之間左右為難。一方面，他們渴望找到“A+”員工，憑借他們的非凡魅力將公司帶到新高度。另一方面，許多CEO對于公司各個方面如何運營有清晰的愿景，帶有一種邪惡的完美主義傾向。這意味著，他們往往會忍不住誘惑，參與到公司運營的每一個細節，而不是向他們花大力氣聘用的人放權。

????換言之，CEO在進行微觀管理。而這將不可避免地導致公司上下滋生沮喪情緒，士氣低落，甚至陷入癱瘓。那么，“關注小事”的管理方法，如何實施才能奏效？

????在我創辦的第一家公司開始迅速發展之際，我希望在不削弱員工獨立判斷能力的前提下，遵從自己內心的完美主義沖動。團隊成員的確可以利用自己的獨立判斷（往往也更加明智）來完成工作。我的想法有其優點，可以避免“委員會設計”的陷阱——“委員會設計”通常只會產生令人沮喪的、打折扣的解決方案。但我的團隊總是把我的想法理解成“宗教法令”，他們要么放棄工作自主權，盲目遵從，要么感到憤怒。因此，我與所有管理者達成了口頭約定，詳細說明了我會聽從他們的哪些決定（大多數），以及我會特別關注哪些細節（只有少數）。

????例如，重新設計網站時，我會授予設計與營銷團隊決定網站結構、布局和頁面流程的權限。畢竟，我之所以聘用他們，就是因為他們是這方面的專家；我希望他們感覺自己擁有把工作做好所需要的自主權。

????Business advice books don’t agree on much, but they’re practically unanimous on this bit of advice to senior managers: focus on the big things, and leave the details to your team.

????I’ve spent my career doing the opposite. And I believe it is largely responsible for the success I’ve had so far.

????These days, when I work with young chief executives, I urge them to try my “sweat the small stuff” management method. It may seem counterintuitive, as though I am urging CEOs to act like that most dreaded creature, the micromanager. But this approach can deliver the opposite effect. In fact, I have found it builds employee trust, brings the best out of the best employees, and, most importantly, builds high-performance teams.

????Chief executives, especially founders, often find themselves torn between two contradictory impulses. On one hand, they aspire to hire “A+” employees who will take the company to new heights with their awesomeness. On the other hand, many CEOs have a clear vision for every aspect of how their companies should be run and a wicked perfectionist streak. This means they often succumb to the temptation to get involved in every detail of the company’s operations, instead of empowering the extraordinary people they’ve just spent a great deal of energy hiring.

????In other words, CEOs micromanage. This inevitably leads to a frustrated, demoralized, and even paralyzed organization. Here’s where a “sweat the small stuff” approach can work well.

????As my first startup began to grow quickly, I found myself wanting to follow my perfectionist impulses without undermining my teams’ ability to get things done using their own—usually more informed—judgment. My ideas had merit, and they avoided the pitfalls of “design by committee,” which often leads to uninspiring and watered-down solutions. But they were often interpreted by my team as religious edicts and caused people to either blindly follow instead of lead or just get annoyed. So, I set up a verbal contract with all of my leaders, which spelled out the decisions I deferred to them (most of them) and a list of details that I specifically cared about (just a few).

????In the case of a major website redesign, for example, I gave the design and marketing teams the authority to determine the site’s organization, layout, and page flow. After all, I hired them because they were experts at this stuff; I wanted them to feel they had the autonomy they needed to do their jobs well.