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Making your mark as a manager does not mean leaving your fingerprints on every aspect of every project. That's the work of a micromanager, who scrutinizes or controls the work of employees due to lack of trust, an overdeveloped ego or both.
Micromanagers generally feel their involvement is necessary to attain high standards. But this style works against everyone's best interests. Micromanaging discourages employees and compromises the offender's own career prospects. It's hard to advance when doing work that ought to be entrusted to others.
Most employees won't come right out and tell you you're all up in their stuff. Here are four signs employees may be micromanaged:
- They are slow to produce work. "Usually this is because they're so nervous about making a mistake, hearing about how they're doing it wrong or hearing lots of unwarranted directions that they don't need," says Rebecca "Kiki" Weingarten, president, DLC Executive Coaching and Consulting, New York.
- They don't participate or "push back" in meetings. "It's a bad sign if you're the only one talking," says Joy Ruhmann, president, Level Up Leadership, Raleigh, N.C.
- They are overly dependent. Increasingly, they seek your advice and don't come up with their own solutions because theirs are always called into question.
- They produce poorer results. "Work product becomes worse and worse as a result of your team giving up, knowing you will change their work no matter how much effort they put forth," says Halley Bock, CEO, Fierce Inc. leadership consulting, Seattle.
What can a recovering micromanagers do?
- Solicit feedback. "Talk to your employees about your management style," Bock advises. "Ask them, 'Do you feel like you could handle these types of tasks on your own?' If so, give them more freedom moving forward."
- Set clear standards. "Identify your needs and the needs of the business or project, be candid about them and then leave it up to your employee to follow through," Bock says.
- Foster accountability. Allowing employees to take ownership of a project, with minimal involvement on your part, forces them to take ownership of the results.
