Nobody aspires to be a Bill Lumbergh – the infamous micromanager boss portrayed in Office Space. Yet, sometimes, without even realizing it, we can slip into the role of a micromanager, stifling our team’s potential and fostering frustration.
A few weeks ago, Harvard Business Review shared an article titled: The Anxious Micromanager. After working with leaders and companies for over two decades, the article does a great job of highlighting the root cause of what we commonly recognize as micromanagement in leadership.
Often, managers place employees at the center of the problem, emphasizing the need for more attention to underperforming team members. However, based on my experience, micromanagement rarely revolves solely around the employees. At its core, micromanagement concerns trust and confidence. Managers who doubt their team’s abilities may become overly involved in their work. Conversely, insecure managers may view competent team members as potential threats.
In this article, we’ll uncover the telltale signs that you might be channeling your inner Lumbergh and explore practical steps to break free from the micromanagement trap.
You might be a Micromanager if…
Here are a few obvious signs you might struggle to micromanage your employees:
1) You find retaining employees on your team challenging, with frequent departures becoming a noticeable trend. High turnover rates can indicate micromanagement, as employees may leave due to feeling stifled or undervalued.
2) You’re constantly frustrated by the level of engagement from employees. While always striving for improvement is beneficial, your frustration might be a clear indicator of micromanagement at play within your leadership style. Some micromanagers tend to overly control and scrutinize their employees’ work, leaving little room for autonomy or creativity. Consequently, team members may feel disempowered, disheartened, and disconnected from their work.
3) Every ask needs your sign-off or approval. When every decision and task requires your authorization, it suggests a lack of trust in your team’s capabilities and may hinder productivity.
4) You require regular, detailed updates from your team. Constantly needing detailed updates can signal micromanagement and might stifle autonomy and creativity within your team.
5) You’re the only one talking at weekly meetings. If you dominate discussions during team meetings, it could indicate that your team feels disempowered or is afraid to share their ideas, a common outcome of micromanagement.
It may be more difficult for some leaders to notice your micromanagement tendencies. Here are a few subtle signs to look for:
- You’re hyper-aware of your employees’ whereabouts. Micromanagers may need to know where their employees are at all times and what they are doing. Whether you’re constantly checking in on them or hyper-focused on them running a couple of minutes late from lunch, this makes employees feel they are not trusted.
- You love editing employee work. Do you feel the need to edit every detail of your employees’ work, even if it is unnecessary? This can indicate that you do not trust your employees to do their jobs well.
- You hate delegating tasks. “I’ll just do it myself” can often be a cover that you do not trust your employees to do a job correctly. Over time, this leads micromanagers to take on too much work and makes employees feel like they are not trusted or valued.
- You focus on the “how” more than explaining the “why.” Micromanagers may concentrate on the specific steps their employees need just as much as the overall goal or purpose of the tasks.
- You sometimes take credit for your team members’ work. Are you tempted to find ways to make yourself look better? Another subtle form of micromanagement can come in the form of downplaying the contributions of others or taking credit for ideas that were not your own.
If you recognize any of these signs in yourself, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Micromanagement is a common problem, but it can be fixed.
How to Stop Micromanaging
So how can you break out of the habit of micromanaging? Here are a few baby steps to consider:
1) Recognize (and admit) you have a problem.
As the adage goes, “The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.” You can rationalize your micromanagement tendencies with excuses such as “there’s too much at stake” or “it’s my credibility on the line,” but these excuses only lead to a disempowered, demoralized team. Instead of finding all the reasons why you should micromanage, consider why you shouldn’t.
2) Take a small first step by letting go of 3-4 mental tasks.
To move away from micromanaging, start by letting go of the small things. This can be difficult, but it is essential to do it in order to trust your team members and give them the autonomy they need to succeed. One way to start is to delegate the small, minute tasks to your team members. As you entrust work to others, attempt to truly let go of the outcome.
3) When assigning tasks, focus on sharing the “why” and “what” rather than the “how.”
While having expectations for deliverables is normal, it’s important to distinguish between expressing those expectations and prescribing the exact path to achieve the desired outcome. As a manager, your role involves defining the criteria for task satisfaction. Clearly describe your vision for the end result, but avoid providing step-by-step directives for reaching it.
4) Expect success.
The fear of failure is a driving force for many micromanagers. Unfortunately, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. When team members feel like they can only succeed with your constant oversight, they may become helpless and dependent on you. To break this cycle, it is essential to acknowledge and appreciate your team’s capabilities. Trust them to do their jobs well, and give them the autonomy they need to succeed. If they make mistakes, view them as learning opportunities and help them improve.
Recognizing and addressing micromanagement tendencies is crucial for effective leadership and team dynamics. Leaders can foster trust, empowerment, and growth within their teams by actively working to break free from micromanagement habits.
So, let’s strive to be the leaders we admire—ones who inspire and uplift rather than those who micromanage and constrain. As Bill encourages us, “That’d be great!”
By Kent Wilson