Are You a Micro-Manager?
May 5th, 2008 by Lisa Symons, Symon Says Communication
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If there’s a dark side to delegation, it’s micromanagement.
We define Micromanagement as managing with excessive control or attention to detail. But is it ever okay to micromanage? Sometimes, yes. Most managers will likely recognize these times, so this will be a review.
If deadlines are missed, the manager must step in and get everyone back on track, find out what happened and, if necessary, create a plan of action for the individual or group to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
You may also need to step in if a project is not going as planned, or employees are hitting milestones but still falling short of expected results.
If a team member is not able to perform because they don’t have the skills, the time, or maybe the interest, then as the manager you need to step in to make sure that that task gets completed. This is important for the overall health of the team, but also for the individual. If the delegated role is beyond their skills, you might cause more damage by letting them completely fail than stepping in. You can turn the experience into a training experience and get the work done either by doing it yourself or preferably delegating to someone else, but have them stay involved so they can continue to learn from the process.
However, if a team member is not willing to perform, where they have the skills and the time and the ability but they just aren’t doing it, then you need to look at it from a personnel aspect. What’s going on with this individual? Ask yourself what is causing this problem? Remember, individual issues will cause problems with the team very quickly.
If a team member is responsible for an especially sensitive file or job, you may need to stay hands-on simply because the averting the risk of information leaks or mistakes is of greater importance than ensuring that the person has complete autonomy.
When is it not okay to micro-manage? Unfortunately this can be a bit of a gray area and a dangerous one, since when employees feel micromanaged, they tend to manifest this by being frustrated or even fearful.
Often, you’re second guessing, or over-questioning of a team member about how they arrived at a certain end result, can lead to that individual not trusting his own judgment. And the less a team member trusts himself, the harder it is for him to take on the next delegated task.
The number one reason most employees leave a workplace is because of bad management. They feel that they don’t have the control, the autonomy, or the ability to grow. The good news is that these are all things you can control, as a manager.
Micromanaging is never okay if it negatively influences the mental health of the staff or the efficiency of the organization. If you’re constantly undermining an employee’s decisions and performance, even unintentionally, that’s going to affect their ability to perform, and it’s going to hurt the team dynamic as well. Luckily, you can determine if you’re a micromanager. Answer the seven questions below and find out where you can fit in the spectrum.
1. Is it hard for you to delegate tasks?
2. Generally speaking, do you think you can perform most of the tasks of your team better than they can?
3. Do you feel it is often that it is better to do the job yourself, rather than delegate?
4. Do you help your staff learn from their mistakes?
5. Do you spend an inordinate amount of time overseeing single projects?
6. Are you and your team overworked?
7. Does your team take initiative, or do they feel they should always check with you before taking action?
Did you answer honestly? Remember, it’s not all black and white.
