No one likes to have their boss constantly peeking over their shoulder. Yet, though most business leaders understand the negative effects of micromanagement, a number of professionals can’t seem to help themselves.
To be fair, many micromanagers have good intentions; often, they want to help their team members succeed. The bad news is that micromanagement typically has just the opposite effect.
On the plus side, though, you can work to recognize micromanagement trends in your own behavior and endeavor to stop them. Here’s how:
8 Tips Business Leads Can Stop Micromanaging Their Team
1# Listen to Your Employees
Odds are, most micromanagers don’t even know they are micromanagers. That’s why it’s key to give your employees the opportunity to provide you with feedback on your performance through anonymous surveys and reviews.
The best way to help your team is to listen to what they have to say. And if they say they need more space, then it’s almost certainly a good idea to give it to them. Instead of being a taskmaster, act as a facilitator.
Create a strong channel of open communication between you and your coworkers. Make it clear to your staff that they may come to you with any issues or queries. Show your staff that you believe in them by telling them what matters to you and why.
2# Implement Better Systems
One of the big problems with micromanagement is inefficiency. If you have to constantly get up and work with your team members to explain basic concepts, then you’re wasting valuable time.
The most successful business leaders don’t do this, but instead set up iterative processes that can be carried out again and again. For instance, investing in training and development courses for your employees can help them solve problems on their own. This, in turn, will allow you to focus on projects on your desk.
3# Make Better Hires & Delegate
Good employees don’t need to be micromanaged. Plain and simple, hiring qualified and capable team members should encourage business leaders to adopt a hands-off approach.
What’s more, business leaders will be much more comfortable delegating important assignments to employees they know and trust. Note also that retaining your best employees can also help cut down on micromanagement as well.
4# Control What You Can
No business leader can control every aspect of their company. It’s not possible, and it wouldn’t be beneficial to do so even if it was. Talented professionals need agency in order to flourish.
Micromanagement, on the other hand, can stifle professional development and cause businesses to miss out on great ideas and opportunities. As businesses transition to more modern models –– including remote setups –– managers have to be willing to control what they can and leave the rest alone.
While micromanaging a single task may make sense in a vacuum, doing so time and again will wear you down –– as well as your team. Learning how to take a step back may not be easy for ambitious business leaders, but it’s essential all the same!
5# Set clear Expectations
Managers typically devote a significant amount of effort to informing their staff on what has to be accomplished. What has to be done and what is desired are not always the same.
Good leaders will go out of their way to make sure that every member of a team idea of what is expected of them. There’s no need to supervise once everyone is on the same page.
6# Strong Communication
Communication plays an active role between employees and manager. It’s responsibility of the managers to set up a system that allows them to communicate with staff as often as they need and vice versa.
Employees should be able to communicate with one another using such a system. In reality, having a robust communication infrastructure in place makes it easier to achieve the attributes.
7# Build trust
Without trust, nobody can work freely. Many micromanagers do so due of a lack of trust. They don’t believe that others can perform the job as well as they can. Face your personal difficulties first, then look for ways to help your team flourish.
If they are performing the activity as you would, instead of condemning, ask questions to acquire knowledge while also offering helpful input.
Try to understand the situation of your employees and if in case they do not fall onto your expectations, try not to get rude with them since they are trying their best.
8# Provide Feedback
Everyone needs and desires input. It’s critical to emphasize not only where you see space for growth, but also what worked well on a project.
Teammates must understand what they should do next and where they have exceeded expectations.
I frequently fail to express my appreciation for a particular work product or the manner in which a member of the team managed a customer engagement.
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Author: Abdul Mateen
