How can you avoid micromanaging your team?

When you are junior, building products as your primary value add. You need to know every detail of your product and schedule. This is pretty unleveraged, since when you aren't at your keyboard, you're not adding value. As you get to middle management, you need to develop processes that help you know what is going well, and what is going awry. And when and how you can "help" by inserting yourself and putting on your "TPM hat." By having clear processes to push you the information you need, you can give your teams autonomy while holding them accountable. As you become even more Senior (VP+), your primary role is to assess talent, allocate human and financial capital to the right projects. Your biggest add is building a great team!

Micromanaging comes from fear and lack of trust from the leadership. I believe it can be improved with these measures: Set the expectations up front: It is very relevant to let things as clear as possible in terms of expectations, from employees towards the leadership and vice versa. Stablish an open communication channel: with proper and honest communication, all friction can be softened, and problems can be addressed. Clear goals and deliverables: with clear goal, everyone will know what to do to what the deliverables are, avoiding conflict and misunderstandings.

In my experience, micromanagement often stems from two primary sources. First, as a default approach when it's the only way someone knows to ensure results. Secondly and more impactful is not having the right people in the team. The key is to prioritize assembling the right individuals who not only possess the necessary skills but also a fit for their roles. When the right people are aligned with a common goal, are clear on expectations and relate with the team objective, micromanagement becomes less of a necessity. Trusting the team becomes easy, and providing the necessary support will empower them to deliver results autonomously, fostering a culture of collaborative success.

Micromanagement is the easy thing to do. It takes real self-control, leadership experience and a clear understanding of why micromanagement is wrong to stop doing this. Micromanagement is more evident when the subordinates are less experienced. There is less trust and a stronger need to control and monitor the output and the quality of the subordinate's work. Micromanagement should not be used by leaders. Employees feel like we are at the back of their neck all the time. They don't feel respected, appreciated and they have no autonomy and flexibility. Thus, we need to identify our tendency to micromanage and find ways to control this, for the benefit of ourselves and the organisation.

Micro-managing is more a reflection on you than the team around you. It may stem from your own lack of confidence or even trauma which has instilled a sense of paranoia and mistrust, or a deficit in your skills, experience and knowledge also known as 'imposter syndrome' - unable to fully understand or appreciate the team you lead may have better solutions or approaches to the work tasks. How to avoid micro-managing, is to ensure clearly defined job descriptions, work flow and line management structures. This avoids the risk of 'stepping in' or actually stepping on (someone's toes/remit) and allows clearer lines of accountability. This should be enshrined in trust and support and in doing so, high performing teams are built.

Micromanaging is something that everybody runs away from and we want to avoid it all costs, for better productivity and efficient managing of your team. There needs to be a balance of trust and open communication between all parties where you lead by being example by being pro-active in whatever you do. Which essentially means that you're empowering your team to have the leverage to work their way around things on their own.

Micromanagement is often driven by fear or personal insecurity. In some cases, it can also be used as a form of power or control over teams where a leader may feel the need to demonstrate superior capability or experience (in their own mind). Good leaders give their people the space and opportunity to learn and make mistakes but always provide air cover and support in developing a culture that promotes learning and growth. The very best leaders shamelessly hire diverse talent with better capability than their own and this in turn attracts more talent to join them. Micromanagement will inevitably drive talent away and coaching versus controlling will yield more positive results every time.

Remember the rule! As a manager you don’t build the business, you build people and people build the business! Hence empowerment, flexibility & respect are the key ingredients to the recipe of being not a micro manager!

Allow your team to make decisions. You will get a more engaged team that aligns with goals and purpose when you allow them to create or be a part of the decision making process.

Humans are fantastic at believing that we have control over everything in life, especially business. However, the reality is that we do not. Micromanagement is a symptom of leaders failing to accept this fact. True leadership involves providing a team the resources and support to simply try their best - together - with a common goal. When a team is motivated and excited to explore with curiosity; amazing things happen. The leader's responsibility is to assist in steering and supporting this exploration. The antithesis of micromanagement is enablement. Micromanagement involves opposing, suffocating, negative comments that restrict. Enablement comes from positively affirming existing qualities that inspire people to trust in themselves.

The transition from an individual contributor to a manager in a team is hard. One has to be purposeful about the shift needed in managing a team. Effective delegation versus unforeseen abdication is a tight rope walk. Delegation, with an efficient governance mechanism, allows the team enough space to develop their ideas and take actions without the need of a "helicoptering" manager who breathes down their neck all the time. Delegation also releases time and space on your plate to take on more from your bosses' plate and grow yourself while acquiring newer skills and competencies.

Delegation or intelligent delegation comes with experience, and there is no rule / book regarding how to do it. There should be a balance between delegation and control. In my experience, its imperative to identify the right folks to delegate to. Also, no harm delegating upwards when needed. With time, one learns who to delegate to, and what all to, and what not to. Give folks a chance till they repeatedly fail.

Delegar es la base para poder formar nuevos líderes, un líder que no delega presenta un rasgo de inseguridad y control. La base del liderazgo es crecer para que otros crezcan, y delegar es una de las acciones fundamentales para el crecimiento de un equipo.

Here is my best formula for delegation: 1) Give someone a job that is big, ideally kind of daunting, and represents something they may not know how to do. 2) Make sure you let them ask questions and get full context. Some people want more, some people need less. 3) Tell them the team is ready to help if they get stuck. "No one on this team should ever fail alone" is my mantra. 4) Give them a time to report back and formulate a plan. 5) Inspect at regular intervals, course correct sparingly. 6) Celebrate the wins, learn from the disappointments. The hardest aspect for me is gauging the ability of a person's willingness to say, "I'm stuck" or "I don't understand." I do more short & informal spot checks to stay on course.

Delegation is indeed an art. An essential aspect of leadership is discerning not just 'what' to delegate but 'how' to delegate. Tailoring delegated tasks based on an individual's capability and growth trajectory ensures not only task completion but also personal and professional development. Regular check-ins, rather than continuous oversight, strike the balance between staying informed and fostering independence.

Constructive feedback is your team's roadmap to better performance. The more specific and actionable your feedback, the less room there is for ambiguity and the less need for micromanagement. But feedback is only half the equation. Regular recognition is the fuel that keeps the engine running. Beyond a simple "great job, folks!", consider sharing their achievements in team meetings, or perhaps offering a more tangible reward (at Google we have a peer and spot bonus program for this that has worked really well over the years). The real magic happens when feedback and recognition operate in tandem. Each reinforces the other. Feedback sets the course, and recognition ensures the team stays engaged and motivated to follow it.

Effective delegation is key to productivity and success. When delegating a task, be clear about your expectations, give your team members the autonomy to do their jobs, trust them, and provide feedback. This will help your team members to understand what you want, achieve it, and learn from their work.

1) Give regular positive feedback when goals are met or exceeded. Praise specific contributions. 2) Provide constructive feedback privately and respectfully focused on behavior not the person. 3) Ask team members for input first when giving feedback to understand their perspective. 4) Focus feedback on behaviors they can control and improve rather than personality traits. 5) Recognize achievements publicly in team meetings to motivate others too. 6) Express appreciation for extra effort and initiative, even if outcome wasn't perfect. 7) Offer guidance on improving skills instead of taking over the task for them. 8) Solicit feedback from your team on your management approach and work together.

As a leader, watching events unfold without intervening, especially when you spot potential errors, requires restraint. But it's vital to let the team navigate these waters, stepping in only when absolutely necessary. Yes, feedback can be uncomfortable. These one-on-one discussions are opportunities not for reprimand but for guidance, helping team members understand alternative approaches they could take. A critical aspect of this phase is the assurance that making mistakes is an acceptable, even necessary, part of growth. I always emphasize to my team that none of us are infallible – I tell them, I make mistakes daily.

As a leader, your job may require you to sit at a strategic level - overseeing and guiding operations, which makes micromanagement ineffective. After expectations are set, feedback must be given. The feedback must be clear, concise and actionable. Not "I think you are doing a good job". Recognition is the great motivator. People want to know that they've done a great job. Even better if the recognition is public. "Praise in Public, Punish in Private". Public admonishment (in front of your team) can kill morale among the entire team, and not just the under-performers. Proper praise will rise natural leaders to the top - generating more capable people to whom you can delegate responsibility.

Start by setting expectations for transparency. Empower team members to share ideas, give feedback and voice concerns without judgment. Make it clear you want to know about problems early on. Schedule regular team meetings and check-ins, but avoid excessive messaging. Use email, chat and calls judiciously to provide guidance, not barrage questions. Most importantly, cultivate direct peer-to-peer collaboration. Have team members coordinate directly instead of funneling through you. Shared goals and accountability organically reduce oversight.

Managers feel a need to micromanage because: 1. They are insecure about themselves. 2. They believe only they have the perfect solutions. 3. They dont trust their team to deliver. 4. They find it difficult to delegate. Once they address these issues about themselves, hopefully they will choose an alternate path to communicate instead of micromanaging their team.

In my experience to date, I don't like to be micromanaged therefor I do not do so to my team. We are all adults, and as a leader when/if I find I am having to more carefully manage my expectations, I lean into directive, where did my communication not flow, etc. I also have an intentional effort of work place collaboration, which keeps me semi in loop of what is going on in a given situation, which allows me to follow the team as a whole as decisions are made, and challenge them when we share a difference of opinion. I find I learn A LOT from leaning into them, and watching them problem solve, which would include lessons for me on perception and perspectives.

I was micro managed at a stage in my career when I was achieving the high revenue for the business and it was a very poor experience. After that experience I've always ensured when I'm managing people, that I let them know I trust them. And set up goals for achievement as key indicators for success. This is what we track and if thing start to go off track we always start by looking at what can I help you with, what worked well and what didn't. In order to build a better plan for tomorrow.

A key to my early success leading high-performing development and product teams was the methodology of MBWA (Management By Walking Around). Having daily insight to each team members' struggles and successes allowed me to make adjustments on-the-fly and remove hurdles for the team. I also learned a ton from the amazing talented individuals I had the fortune to work with, which in turn made me a much better leader.

There is a fine line between micro management and micro understanding/interest/lenses. While no organisation can really scale and grow in a micro-managed environment (most situations, at least), it remains important that leaders understand a certain level of detail. Stepping entirely out of the details is not the option, but don't manage (e.g. make decisions) on that level of detail - this is where you want to empower experts to make the call. It takes some time to establish this way of leading. And far too often the room gets quiet once the boss steps in. This is the moment where you just listen in and make yourself a learner of the group. This stage belongs to your team!

As a leader, it's essential to reflect on your workload and delegation habits. Micromanaging not only stifles your team's growth but is also an unsustainable practice for you. Dedicating time to oversee every detail can lead to burnout, affecting decision-making and leadership quality. By entrusting tasks to your team and focusing on broader strategies, you achieve dual benefits: giving team members room to grow while ensuring your leadership remains effective and sustainable in the long run.

I wish for people to realize that the archetypes of leadership we are fed when young are not realistic. You dont have to be George Washington, 6 feet tall, charismatic, a great speaker, large and in charge riding in on some horse. The best leaders dont have the answers, they often have the best questions. They are often willing to listen first and talk last. There are so many ways to be a leader in 2023/24. So, find your style, not somebody else's.

In my opinion, micromanagement only happens when leaders and team members are NOT aligned on key goals, objectives, and mission/vision of the organization. Lack of alignment can create a lack of trust, which can trigger leaders to micromanage or manage any activity or task to reach assigned goals. This creates an environment where leaders become just a manager and cannot work strategically to lead the team in the right direction. Overcommunicating is always better than NOT communicating or letting assumptions run your decision-making. It's important that leaders understand this key skillset, set the right expectations, and lead from the front.

I believe ownership always flourishes when you have trust and transparency within the team. As a leader, if you can create trustworthiness then your team members automatically start owning the task. Afterwards, you don't need micro-management of any tasks.