The next question you need to ask yourself about every person you manage is: "Why? Why am I managing this person?"

Everybody is different. Why you manage one person is very different from why you manage another person.

This is another way of saying: You need to have a goal at any given time with every person you manage. What is your goal? Do you want this person to work faster? Or do you want this person to slow down? Do you want this person to dot more I's and cross more t's? Or do you want this person to stop measuring the size of the dot over the I and get on with it? Why? Why you manage one person may be very different from why you manage another.

Sometimes managers will say to me, "Well, that's just it. You see, I have self-starting high-performers working for me. So I don't need to manage them at all." To which I say, "No!"

Self-starting high performers need to be managed, too. One reason is self-starting high performers sometimes go off wildly in the wrong direction. See Lehman Brothers or Bear Stearns or Enron. The examples are plenty. Another reason why self-starting high performers need managers is: Self-starting high-performers almost always want a manager who knows who they are, knows what they are doing, and is in a position to help them.

Sometimes managers will say to me, "I have this one person who is so good she just doesn't need me at all. There's nothing I have to offer this person. She's that good." To which I say, "Well that doesn't mean that person doesn't need a manager. It just means you shouldn't be the manager. Maybe you should switch hats."

Why are you managing this person? You need to have a goal with every person.

BONUS MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE
Do you currently have assignments for which you do not have an available well-trained experienced direct-report? Do you have available to you any employees who are less-trained and less-experienced with "underutilized capacity" (that is, TIME)? Is there anyone on that list you would be willing to invest in by spending time guiding and directing that person and helping that person succeed? Consider giving one or more of those excess assignments to this person but be prepared to spend extra time guiding, directing and supporting this person every step of the way until he/she becomes better-trained and more experienced. You'll be building a go-to employee you can go to with assignments in the future.