How to Lead Without Micromanaging

The Pitfalls of Micromanagement

Micromanagement is a dangerous trap that is easy to fall into, especially when stressed, feeling pressure, or having fewer resources than we think we need to achieve successful results. However, for the seemingly short-term benefit of “progress,” the problems and toxicity created by micromanagement are long-term and undermine the foundation to personal growth for you and your team members, and ultimately to company profitability. 

Why Micromanagement Happens

Micromanagers are typically those who have climbed the same ladder and therefore think they can do any task they assign better and faster. It can also be the case that people micromanage because they don’t trust their team members to do it. In the worst-case scenarios, managers give a task and then take it away instead of taking the time to train their team or giving them the extra time to do it.

The Long-Term Consequences of Micromanaging

Studies show that ownership and accountability go way down when people feel micromanaged. The work becomes a reflection of how well they took direction from their boss rather than their capabilities, so their dedication and commitment can quickly diminish.

Building Trust Through Effective Management

Managing Is Coaching: Shifting Your Mindset

Know that managing is coaching. Coaching asks questions, not redlining or telling them how to do it. In this process, a manager also learns how that person works so trust can be built over time. When you micromanage by redlining or rewriting, managers prevent their employees from creating and instead train them to wait for the manager to step in. This keeps them small instead of growing.

Letting Employees Grow: Breaking Projects Into Manageable Pieces

Let your employees develop. Break the project into smaller pieces that you can tackle one at a time. This approach allows employees to learn and contribute meaningfully without feeling overwhelmed or overly scrutinized.

Communication Strategies to Prevent Micromanagement

Setting Clear Expectations

The first and most important step is to set clear expectations. When everyone understands the goals and desired outcomes, there’s less room for miscommunication or micromanaging.

The Power of Reflective Listening

Make sure the person doing the task repeats back to you what the expectations are, so it’s crystal clear. Repeating back instructions — known as “reflective listening” — may seem infantilizing, but it is a proven communication strategy for improving clear dialogue and reducing miscommunications.

Debriefing: An Essential Yet Overlooked Practice

The importance of debriefing is often overlooked in situations with multiple projects or tight deadlines. Meeting summaries, feedback sessions, and contingency plans ensure success. The expense in time is an investment over time, so your people engage, take ownership, and feel valuable.

The Case for Training and Development

Retaining Talent in the Era of the Great Resignation

In an unprecedented workplace setting such as this, where talk of the Great Resignation looms large on managers’ minds, time investments in training and development can help retain employees for the long run.

Building a Team for Succession

These investments are especially true when considering a team built for the successorship of yourself as you are promoted or step back from active leadership in the company.

How To Stop Micromanaging Your Employees In Three Easy Steps

Successful management without micromanaging is not to make people responsible for tasks and activities but rather to create accountability for their results that follow a plan for desired results.

Step #1: Delegate outcomes, not projects or tasks.

Be clear on what needs to be accomplished in terms of results if you want to make those results happen. Having a goal in mind allows the person to approach achieving it in a way that best works for them, thus allowing them to take pride in accomplishing it.

Step #2: Decide on a plan or road map for success.

Ask your team members how they will approach accomplishing the desired outcome with a written plan. If you notice issues with their approach, provide guidance without shooting down their ideas. This allows preemptive course correction while fostering ownership.

Step #3: Follow-up, monitor and coach.

To be a true leader, you must coach. Ask questions to help critical thinking, broaden someone’s perspective, or expand their thinking on a subject. When done right, this won’t feel like micromanagement but rather a supportive partnership focused on results.

When Close Management Is Necessary

Training New Employees

There are times when an effective manager will need to manage more closely, such as when someone is new to their role or is struggling to move project goals forward.

Handling High-Stakes Projects

For high-stakes projects, offering appropriate support and monitoring progress without taking the project back as punishment is critical to maintaining trust and ensuring success.

Leadership Techniques That Will Empower Your Team

1. 1-to-1 Coaching. A highly individualized approach focuses on the exact needs of each executive, helping them accomplish goals such as becoming better leaders or managers.
2. Leadership Team Development. Investing in leadership team development ensures corporate leaders work together as a high-performance team focused on positive results.
3. Leadership Peer Network. A peer group of like-minded leaders increases personal accountability, creates better decision-making, and encourages professional and personal growth while reducing isolation.

The above are all opportunities to get curious and roll up your sleeves so that you can provide better support, not do more of the work. If your team meets regularly, dedicate this time to figuring out what’s happening. Approach these conversations by being forthright about concerns, and develop a plan to get things back on track.

As a manager, your job is to make sure you are consistently delivering results that go above and beyond while your team members feel empowered to thrive through their work. Part of getting great results is hiring great people, helping them learn, and giving them room to do their jobs well.

Ready to Lead and Not Micromanage? Give Me A Call.

Backed by nearly twenty years of experience, Coach4Execs has the insights to share through our One-on-One Executive Coaching and Leadership Team Development services. Furthermore, the VISTAGE CEO Membership program offers a venue where fellow CEOs gather to collaborate and learn how to create and nurture the highest possible performance.

Reach out today for a consultation and see how easy it is to become the leader you want to be.

Georganne Goldblum,
CEO of Coach4Execs

About Georganne

Georganne Goldblum is a seasoned executive coach with over 20 years of experience, specializing in coaching senior executives to outperform their goals and competition. Drawing from her impressive background as a Fortune 500 executive, management consultant, entrepreneur, and private investor with over 25 years of management experience, Georganne brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her coaching. She helped 7 companies optimize their business exits in the last 5 years, netting over $1.1 billion. Over the last 9 years, assisted 13 companies in achieving exits totaling over $2 billion.

An MBA graduate from the renowned NYU Stern School of Business, her impact and influence in the industry are evident through the numerous accolades and awards she has received, including the prestigious Charles “Red” Scott Award. She has been recognized as one of the Most Influential Businesswomen in South Florida. Connect with her on LinkedIn.