Micro-managers feel compelled to do it all rather than lead and guide others (the equivalent of managing a one-man gang), making them the direct opposite of smart leaders and managers. In fact, micromanaging can be a compulsion based on deep-seated insecurities that are resistant to change. But any knowledge gained by micromanagers that leads to self-awareness and change, however minimal, will be welcomed by a large portion of the micromanaged workforce.
A micromanager is someone who feels compelled to tell you how to do your job. However, this is not the whole story. Even if they want to tell you how to do your job, most micromanagers don’t really know as to do your work. But once they see your work, they can tell you of course to do your job They would rather do your job than clearly state your expectations and allow you a degree of flexibility around these expectations. In fact, a central characteristic of the micromanager is setting unrealistic and rigid expectations, often completely idiosyncratic and not tied to objective quality standards. I’ve seen micromanaged employees whose output, while perfectly acceptable by most standards, fell short of unstated expectations and was completely rewritten by a micromanager in a much denser style than the original.
Micromanaging is so toxic because it breeds mistrust and undermines motivation. It will literally bring an organization to a standstill because the micromanager will be so busy approving, editing, reviewing, and doing the work of his employees that operations in the organization will be reduced to a trickle. Additional consequences of micromanagement are:
- turnover increases because few people can tolerate consistent micromanagement;
- employees do sloppy work because they feel that no matter what they do, they will be corrected;
- quality goes down because most micromanagers have deluded themselves into believing that only they can do a job well, when in fact many micromanagers border on incompetence.
Smart managers know that engagement with employees is a necessary part of good supervision. But engagement is not micromanagement. Engagement means knowing your employees’ responsibilities and tasks to the point that you can teach them the basics of their jobs. In fact, smart managers could do their employees’ jobs, but they don’t. Smart managers are confident enough to trust their employees to do their jobs. even if the tasks are not done exactly as they would do them.
If you want to be a smart manager and what you’ve read so far gives you the uneasy feeling that you may have micromanaging tendencies, take this quiz. If two or three describe you, then you have work to do. Awareness is the first step in change.
- Do you tell employees how to do tasks rather than what you want done?
- Do you think that to do a task well, you have to do it yourself?
- When employees don’t produce what you want, would you rather make it yourself than instruct them on what you want?
- Do you expect others to “know” you well enough to anticipate what needs to be done without you having to tell them?
- Do you think you spend more and more time reviewing the work of your employees?
- Do projects in your organization, no matter how small, always get delayed because others are waiting for you to approve them?
- Do you have a hard time keeping employees?
- Do your employees think you are a micromanager?
Many micromanagers are too insecure to deal with their shortcomings. The most likely cure is dismissal after the organization sinks so low that it is in danger of surviving. But for the few micromanagers who have insight into their behavior and want to become smart managers, what can be done?
The change will be difficult, but here are some things to practice:
- In each job, have a clear image of what you want to produce; tell your employees that, then refrain from telling them how to do it. If they don’t produce what you want, assume it was your fault for not clearly stating what you want; repeat their expectations and ask them to youtry again; don’t take the job from them and do it yourself.
- If you continue to find fault with your work, look at your expectations. How reasonable are they? Ask your peers to give you feedback on the work of their employees. Peer input can help you reset your expectations to a more reasonable level.
- If the job still doesn’t look good, and if it won’t result in substantial damage, let it out, but make sure the employee gets feedback on the client’s work. Let your employees fail. Give them permission to learn and improve from his failure, but youUnder no circumstances punish employees for not. That’s a sure sign of an abusive and incompetent manager. And the employee will lose trust in you for having “set him up” to fail.
- Delegate approval authority for all but the most significant organizational results to others. Start at the level immediately below you, and as subordinates gain more confidence and understanding of your vision, ask them to delegate further down the chain.
Micromanagement kills organizations. Smart managers foster a trusting and open environment that enables employees to succeed and thrive. The golden rule of smart management (when employees succeed, managers succeed) is a basic leadership principle. Moving from micromanagement to smart management means embracing this rule in word and in practice. The organization will be more effective, employees will be more productive, and you will be more successful as a manager.