How I Made the Decision to Quit Micromanagement

It was a hard habit to break but I don't regret doing it. I’ve been at a stage where I believed I could design better than the designers, write better than the writers, do marketing better than the marketers, and sell better than the sales team. And there I was always interfering, always tempted to micromanage. When exposed to this, they either left or lost a sense of passion. This cycle was growing and I kept hiring people who fit the mold and always looked for a more hands-on approach. 

“Micromanagement sucks the life out of employees, promotes anxiety and produces a high-stress work environment.”

The cold, hard reality

And one day I lost all hope in my people - many of them were superstars in their fields. Because they ended up their sense of ownership as I micromanaged my superstars. I talked about my every move with a friend. He told how I need to change the state of empathy in my organization but I was not sure how to be a part of the solution to change. The first step I took was to develop an awareness of why I micromanage, “I need to understand where this is coming from.” I realized if I have hired someone, it means I believe they are capable of doing the job, then why micromanagement?

With ProofHub, you can empower your teams to self-manage. Try now! 

Micromanagement breeds resentment and disloyalty. I am not the only leader who was micromanaging. Now, I frequently hear from about their ex-boss being a micromanager. How can you tell if you are micromanaging? You are:

• Controlling employees’ work and telling them what to do and how to do it 
• Asking for clarification on everything
• Overseeing the projects of subordinates
• Demanding regular updates from every employee

The fear of losing control brings micromanagement into the picture.

No employee appreciates being micromanaged, so it's in your best interest as a leader to control this behavior before it leads to negative effects. Avoid micromanagement for employees to learn for themselves and better productivity. 

But there are situations when micromanagement makes sense? Absolutely. Management requires different approaches depending on the internal and external challenges of a team. When your team is in crisis, they might require close attention. It’s fine to look after things as a temporary solution as long as you're aware of it. 

If you are a micromanager… think about the effects of micromanagement on your team. And stop!

If you’re being micromanaged…think about the best way to address your boss. 

Looking back, it was a small decision but it changed my relationship with my employees for good. Do you have any micromanagement strange stories? Let me know in the comments below. 

Author Bio:

Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder and CEO of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. He’s one person always on a lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and organisations. You’ll find him saying, “Let’s go!” instead of “Go!” many times a day. That’s what makes him write about leadership in a way people are inspired to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more. For more inspirational articles follow him on Linkedin.