“A person who micromanages is like a coach who wants to get in the game. A Leader guides and supports and then sit back to cheer from the sidelines.” - Simon Sinek

It’s been a while since my last post. My writing got a little out of whack but I guess we’re back on track now. Seriously past few months feels like I’ve lived a solid one year in the last few months:).. I feel so much gratitude for an intense work schedule past few days to channel my energy to be all productive!

With the striving and hustling to overcome a pandemic this year, the ‘characters of the Leaders will matter as much as their Competence’ in the years ahead. 2021 and the coming years would need more good Leaders than ever in history.

I’ll put this bluntly: Good Leaders make you safe, Micromanagers do not. By definition, ‘Micromanagement is a management style where a person closely observes or controls the work of subordinates or peers’. In the intention of making everything right or “perfect”, a person starts to micromanage everything and to all, surprisingly this doesn’t happen only at the corporate level.

According to Howard Business Review - “When the ‘unconscious’ need for more direct information converges with a manager’s tendency towards operational focus, micromanagement is often the result. And when many people operate this way, we end up with the complex micromanagement culture”.

Micromanagers, through commitment and attention to details may seem like role models, but it hides plain sight and disguise working practices. Discover few symptoms of micromanagement below and gauge if you faced this anytime and see what you as a Leader can do to alleviate it.

1. CONVOLUTED INSTRUCTIONS

Micromanagers have an obsession over minor details resulting in over complicating even the straight forward projects - “Instructions are so detailed and convoluted that they end up becoming incomprehensible”.

2. NEED FOR APPROVAL

This often comes out of Insecurity and lack of Trust. Many micromanagers have a difficult time giving authority to their team members. This ends up to people requesting approval for about everything, literally diminishing their self confidence.

3. TO BE COPIED IN EVERY EMAIL

This implies a Fear of being left out of the loop and that people are discussing details and taking decisions outside of their control. This often comes out with the obsession to have visibility of every strand of communication at all times. Unfortunately I’ve even seen few people putting their own words to their subordinates mouth so they speak only that what the micromanagers intend to speak.

4. CONTROL AND THREAT

Micromanagers have an obsession to control anything and everything. A person who wants to control every situation and creates a threat to the subordinates and/or their partners or peers only results in fear and anxiety, creating a toxic environment.

5. LACK OF VISION

Losing the ability to see the bigger picture. Micromanagers are so bogged down in the minute of details and each strand that they sometimes loose sight of The Roadmap.

Freedom is the key motivating factor for your team to take responsibility for their tasks, and also to let them make mistakes so they don’t aim to be perfect rather they aim to grow, and remember, it’s the Vision that counts, not to dictate each action.

Sources: https://hbr.org , https://engage.kununu.com, www.breathehr.com