A holiday reflection on micromanagement

Grandma is running up the stairs with a speed that will rival any professional runner.

• Grandma, is ok, I'm sure I'll find it! - I scream from the first floor.

• No, no, is ok, I know where it is and I'll be faster! - she screams from the attic.

While she is looking for the thing I need, I go to the kitchen and I start loading the dishwasher. She arrives exactly 2 minutes later (it would have taken me 15) with a triumphal smile on her face.?

• There you go!

Her smile starts to disappear as she looks at the way I'm loading the dishwasher.?

• Don't worry about it! - She says - I'll do it later, you are on holiday.?
• No, no, I want to help! - I reply, realizing that the moment I leave the kitchen she will rearrange everything I have done.?

I know this comes from a place of love and desire to increase efficiency, but grandma is clearly micromanaging me.?

How many times as managers and leaders do we do the same? We care so much for our teams and for making sure that things come out as perfect as we want them to, that we become overprotective grandmas. We take on the work ourselves, we protect our employees from uncomfortable truths, we are more worried about their workload than ours and in the process, we take away their opportunities to learn, to grow and to experiment.?

How to avoid this? We should become more comfortable with the “good enough” by trusting our teams. Ensuring that the objectives are clear and giving freedom and autonomy on how it is done will enable a huge universe of possibilities. Making time for feedback and clarifying questions during the process will be critical for success.?

And if you are the one being micromanaged, don’t be afraid to ask grandma to teach you how to do something. There is always a lot to learn from people that are more experienced, and by asking them for their perspective you will win the trust to enable your own experimentation.?

It took me a week of holidays and many failed attempts, but now grandma trusts me to load the dishwasher.?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of current or previous employers. Any content provided by the author is her opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.