4 Simple Steps to Stop Micromanaging and Start Trusting Your Experts

A friend of mine had a manager who was micromanaging his daily tasks. She would sit over his shoulder and watch him draft his emails. If he typed anything she didn’t like, she’d ask him to correct it and stay there until he sent the email. His manager’s excuse was that her boss would see the email so it had to be perfect. This may sound ridiculous because you haven’t experienced this, but this is a reality for many in the professional world.

Micromanaging is a problem that managers don’t like to admit to. Your supervisor wants results, and you need results from those reporting to you. Sometimes the pressure from the top can be stressful. However, this pressure should not be used as an excuse to exert control and add pressure to your team. In this blog post I’ll lay out 4 easy steps to help you stop micromanaging your team.

As a manager, you should surround yourself with team mates who are smarter than you. By hiring great talent you should have experts around you that you can trust. Demand excellence from your team and then trust them to deliver. Do this, and they will make you look like a rock star. This is the only way you can deliver quality results.

If you take away their autonomy and micromanage their every move, these smart people will spiral downward until they can no longer stand it. They will seek better opportunities. Not only that, but the word will spread, and you will have crippled your ability to attract top talent.

Study after study has shown that employees leave when they feel they are not trusted to do their own work. And yet, manager after manager fail to build the environment that employees crave. This disconnect is troubling, since the solution is well established and documented.

How to stop micromanaging and start trusting your employees.

1 – Self Evaluation

If you feel one person on the team always needs your attention, then you need a more capable person in their place. But if you notice you have to micromanage the whole team, then it’s time to take a step back. Take a look at your management style. A micromanaging boss is one of the main causes for good employees’ resignations. Even worse is the damage it does to the morale of the rest of the team.

So you have to take a good look in the mirror and commit to making a change in how you approach managing your team. A frank conversation with team members about your management style can be useful. It can give the team hope that things can change. It takes courage to do this, but the rewards will be immense.

2 – Understand and delegate your team members

Micromanaging can also occur when the manager doesn’t understand the skillset of the team they manage. Try to understand the skill set each member of the team brings. Have open, one-on-one discussions with each team member. Ask your team about their motivations. Ask them what management style they prefer. You should also ask how they would like you to deliver feedback after finishing tasks. Finally, be very clear on what you expect from them as a team member.

Based on the information you learn, you should now be able to assign appropriate tasks to each team member. The tasks should be well defined while giving everyone the space to get their job done. Next, you should follow up with constructive feedback and give credit where it’s due and direction when it’s needed.

3 – Learn to let go

Assign and delegate with a clear vision of what the goal is and then move out of their way. Be available to help remove blockers for them, or to answer any clarifying questions. Provide any training they may need, but give them the opportunity to execute without a constant check-in.

Letting go also means giving the team members permission to fail. This will give them the freedom to find a better path to the results you’re looking for.

You’ll also have to let go of how long you think a task should take. You might be able to do a certain task in 10 minutes, but it might take someone new at it 2 hours to do. Give them that leeway and expect the task to take a little longer. The openness will empower them to own their tasks and the results.

4 – Provide support & feedback

Team members should always know that you have their full support and are available for help if they need it. Be available to answer questions, concerns or roadblocks they may face. Providing training or tools like existing SOPs is also a great way to show that you want them to succeed.

Final thoughts on micromanaging

Your team has the skillset and experience to get good work done. Don’t get in the way of their progress. Give them the tools and resources they need to succeed. And finally, empower them to do great work and they will rise to the occasion.