How do you manage your team? Great, you may say. They deliver; your outcomes are satisfactory for the clients. It seems like there couldn’t be any problem if the client likes what you do. But do you know if you’re leading or micromanaging?
But the question here is how do you get your team to that outcome? Are they happy with your management style? Do you lead them to glory? Or do you take them by the hand like preschoolers to assure your success? These are very relevant questions; the answer you give them may have an impact on many levels for the team.
For example, employees who have a leader as a manager tend to be more committed to their job and fulfill their potential. On the other hand, if the team has a micromanager, they will be more dissatisfied with the job and probably won’t grow as professionally.
But, what is a micromanager?
Micromanagement can be defined as a management style where the manager takes extreme control of the details of their team’s output or workload. These managers take a very close look at what everyone is doing, by overly supervising with a loupe on every minor task or issue.
They also tend to get frustrated if the task wasn’t approached as they would have. For sure, these managers are rarely satisfied with deliverables and tend to correct most things themselves.
They are the type of boss who will ask for a detailed daily report on everybody’s project.
And let’s be honest, there is nothing wrong with being detail-oriented or wanting to be updated with how is your team doing on their tasks.
The problem here is the excessiveness of the supervision, by doing this when it is not necessary you are not only investing poorly your time and energy; but also sending a message to your team that you do not trust them. And that could be demoralizing and discouraging, affecting their performance and well-being.
How to fight it
Be aware
Most micromanagers don’t know that this is what they are doing. Checking up on yourself and the way you manage should be at the top of the list.
Think about why you need to control every little detail and break down that thought, go through it. Allow yourself to get some insight on why you should stop micromanaging —a hint: it might be burning you and everybody else out— and start being the leader you can be.
You can start by setting your priorities straight. What demands your full attention and what doesn’t, and follow that. It might not be easy, but you don’t have to go to the other extreme either, it is about finding a soft spot in the middle, one where you are comfortable and your team is validated and encouraged too.
Trust and know your team
Get to know your team; their strengths and weaknesses. Then you will know where your attention is required the most. Try telling them the outcome you expect and asking what would their approach be. It might be something that you didn’t think of. By knowing your team, delegating will become easier, since now you know they are capable.
But you should also make them feel like you trust them and their vision, so step back a little, try seeing the big picture, and let them work. At first, try with not a very urgent project, so you will feel comfortable with not being there every minute, they might come and ask for validation because that’s what you’ve taught them, but let them know you trust they are capable and do no back off on your word.
In the end, receive the project with an open heart and think twice about the way you provide feedback.
Ask for feedback
Communication is vital for every team to work. Talk to your team; ask them about how they feel about the strategies that are being displayed, or whether they have any suggestions.
Bring to the table the matter of how you would like to be kept up to date with their projects, it doesn’t have to be in an over-vigilant way, they might have some work plan they would like to implement.
Talk to them about the priorities and the tasks that you will be supervising more because of their importance. Sometimes asking a colleague outside your team is a good idea. Get some honest feedback on how your team is doing and how well you are managing them.
Switch to leading
Rather than controlling, leading is the way to go. A leader inspires and motivates, they trust their teams and are very trusted by them.
They guide towards achieving the common goal and allow the space for their teammates to grow. It is not neglecting the project but also not taking every action or decision in your hands. A leader is empathic and disciplined.
This means that you take the work very seriously, but also care about the well-being of your team. You might not feel very much like what you think a leader is, but there is always a way to improve. You can start by checking out this article we posted about tips to become a better leader.
At the end of the day, what matters is getting to the goal in the smartest and not hardest way possible. And since a happy team, well lead can take you to outer space. Why don’t you give your team their best chance by leading them instead of micromanaging them?
