Ouch! No one wants to be called a micromanager. However, many leaders micromanage their staff without even realizing it.
Micromanaging is a style of managing that exerts extreme control over the work and its execution by subordinate employees. It’s a form of control and generally creates a lack of trust and lowers engagement in the workplace.
I want to be precise. . .there are no positives for employees when you micromanage them.
But how do you know if you are micromanaging? Your manager may not notice unless they observe you managing someone’s work (or someone complains about you). The people most likely to know it’s happening, your staff, probably aren’t going to speak up and tell you unless they can do it anonymously, such as in a 360 Review or employee engagement survey.
Luckily, there are some concrete signs that you may be a micromanager.
You resist delegating.
Delegation is key to being a good leader, yet many resist giving work away. The common reasons I hear are:
- No one can do it as well as I can
- When I’ve delegated in the past, they didn’t do a good job
- I’ll just have to redo the work when it comes back
These reasons all point to the fact that you will not be able to control someone else’s work product. Humble leaders know that there are multiple ways to get things done, and their way isn’t the only reasonable way. Yes, it may take longer to get something done the first few times someone new takes on the task, and it may not look exactly like when you did it. In the long run, with proper training and support, delegating tasks and responsibilities to your team allows them to continue growing and developing their skills and gives you extra time to attend to higher priorities.
How to start delegating: Get to know your staff members’ strengths and task preferences. This will help you determine the best team member for any job. Once you have selected a task and employee, give them basic instructions (See #5) and focus on expected outcomes. Make sure to establish a clear communication channel but be careful not to micromanage this aspect (See #2). Most importantly, be patient and give grace for failures. No one gets it right every time. Remember, this is a learning and growth opportunity as well as a way to alleviate your workload for higher priority work. Finally, ensure you have a debrief session after task completion. The debrief is an opportunity to give and receive feedback about the process and outcomes.
Asking to be CC’d on all emails.
Asking to be cc’d on an email occasionally is not a micromanaging issue. There are many reasons that a supervisor might need to be cc’d. However, telling a staff member to CC you on every email signifies you are micromanaging. It signals that you do not trust your employees to communicate appropriately, either with others or with you.
In a workplace with trust, leaders empower employees to communicate, knowing that when issues arise, the employees will communicate appropriately. If you have an employee that struggles with email communication, coach them on the skills they need. You don’t need to spy on every email to see what is happening. You end up creating an unhappy employee and clogging your inbox, making you a less effective communicator.
When to ask to be cc’d: When working on projects or delegating tasks, develop a communication plan with clear markers for when you need to be cc’d. Be specific about why you need to be cc’d on certain information. For example, if you are waiting on an employee to complete a specific step in a process so that you can move forward, being cc’d on their last action might be appropriate.
Asking for frequent updates.
Ok, I need to define frequent as everyone has a different threshold. Asking for daily updates or even multiple updates in a week is far more than anyone needs to be updated most of the time. I’m not talking about asking for specific reports that may sometimes happen daily; I’m talking about face-to-face, e-mail, or phone conversations where you ask what the employee is working on and the results they have achieved. Unless you are working on a short-term, highly time-sensitive project, no one makes enough headway on their work in a day for an update to be relevant. Trust that they will come to you if something comes up they can’t handle.
How frequently should you get updates: This will differ for every employee. As a rule, I suggest update meetings be at least once a month and no more frequent than weekly. You may need to vary your schedule if your workload varies throughout the year. The critical part here is to communicate openly with your employees to find the schedule that works for both of you.
You are proofreading and wordsmithing everything.
If you have hired someone into a position requiring writing and you have given them your company style guide, let them do their job. Unless they are writing a letter that you are signing, your word preference is irrelevant. By insisting on proofreading and wordsmithing everything, you are slowing down the company’s work and sending a signal that you do not trust the skills of your employees.
Overcoming wordsmithing: This can be very difficult for some people. You might need to enlist the help of a trusted colleague or coach to assist you if you find yourself resisting making this change. First, make sure you have clear deadlines for proofing and stick to them. Time constraints can do wonders for stopping over-wordsmithing. You can also adopt an attitude that perfectly imperfect is good enough. If you have eliminated any grammar and spelling errors, and the piece’s tone hits the mark, then stop and approve it. If you find yourself fretting over a single word, unless the word is offensive or exclusionary, stop and approve the piece.
Giving overly detailed instructions.
Yay! You’ve decided to delegate. That’s a great step, but oh no, you’ve given a three-page detailed instruction for a simple task. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s not far off from some things I’ve seen. Yes, it’s essential to give clear instructions for how to do something, but there is a point where you can go too far.
How to give “just enough” instructions: Instead of detailing exactly how you want something done, try giving instructions based on the desired outcome. If the employee has the knowledge, skills, and tools available to achieve the result, it doesn’t matter if they accomplish it the same way you would. If you are delegating to develop skills in an employee, stick to giving instruction based on the skills being developed, and use how you accomplish the task only as an example. Refrain from telling them to do it exactly the way you do.
If, after reading this, you think you might be guilty of micromanaging, it’s time to think about making some changes. Trust is an essential part of a healthy, happy, productive workplace. Micromanaging team members destroys trust and lowers productivity. The higher up you are as a leader, the more damage micromanaging you can do. Take steps now to alter the way you manage to one that conveys trust and support. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.
