Don’t be a Micromanager. It Hurts the Business More Than It Helps
As a manager or owner of a business, it is inevitable for you to be hands-on in the entire process. There is nothing wrong with it. You are just doing your job and you need to be there to supervise the process. The only problem is when you go beyond and become a micromanager. This is when you start looking into every detail of every department in the company. You want to make a decision in almost every aspect of the business. Not only are you hurting the business, you are also stressing people out.
Signs that you are micromanaging
The first sign is when you have a plan but you just don’t tell anyone about it. You can’t expect your employees to read what you have in mind. The reason why you are not telling it is because you don’t fully trust them. You think that they won’t be able to do the job well so you might as well hold on to the plan and let them figure things out. When they could not get it done right, you step in and micromanage. It was not their fault that they didn’t get it right, but it was your fault for not telling them clear instructions.
You want to be involved in all conversations
This is a wrong practice. Don’t expect your employees to include you in all emails or in a group chat conversation. You want them to constantly update you in every step of the way. If you have hired the right people, even if they don’t update you all the time, you know they are moving ahead. You can set some time to meet up just to touch base but you need not do it all the time. Besides, if they don’t know what to do or they really want your help, they will go to you.
You seem to forget your own high level tasks
Everyone in the business has a task. As a manager, you also have other tasks to prioritize. You need to be on the role of a supervisor. There is no need to be involved in smaller decision making strategies. You also don’t need to meet with all these people at all times. You identify their roles and your role in a project. You should also determine when to meet and what to talk about. Allow everyone to go ahead and do what they are supposed to do.
Solving your micromanaging problem
The first thing you need to do is hire the best people for the job. You won’t have to micromanage if you know that you have the best people working with you. It is easier to trust them to do the job and just let them constantly update you. You should also make them feel good about the job so they are inspired to do more and do better even if you are not there. Try stepping out of their work area and just let them come to you if they need help.
It is not easy letting employees work on their own especially if you think too highly of yourself and not of them. Once you learn to trust and just let them go ahead, you won’t be micromanaging anymore.
Photo Attribution:
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2nd image from https://www.intelligentoffice.com/blog/4-signs-that-youre-micromanaging-and-how-to-fix-it
