I read somewhere this week that many managers are concerned about micromanaging. Not that their bosses will micromanage them, but that they will micromanage their own team.?
It’s a legitimate concern given the number of people I run into who feel micromanaged or at least over-managed in some way or another. “Well-meaning” managers must accidentally end up as “well-meaning” micromanagers all the time.?
So I thought I’d share a few tell tale signs that you might be over-managing your team:?
- The team procrastinates: If they know you are going to just make them redo their work over and over, no matter how good the work is, then they’ll wait until the last minute to do the work, running out the clock to decrease the number of times they have to redo the task.?
- The team agrees with everything: If, every time they come up with a thought or an idea or want to try something new, they get shot down, then they will decide it's easier just to do what they are told.?
- The team’s work seems to be getting worse: This seems counterintuitive, but: Why spend ten hours on something just to be told it’s “crap” when you can spend one hour and get the same response.?
- They stop getting annoyed: Their annoyance and frustration may be challenging for you. But, be more concerned when your people go quiet. If they’re not engaged in a positive way, and they’re not engaged in a negative way, it means they just don’t care any more.?
- Your calendar has become unmanageable: If you always step in and overrule what the team decides, then will come to you for every decision. The more trivial the decisions you insist on making, the more they come to you.?
So what should you do if you discover these signs on your own team??
- Rethink processes: Develop new processes that allow the team to make decisions. Better define when and on what the team must check in with you, and then don’t step in on anything else.
- Listen with an open mind: Ask the team questions about why they are proposing what they are proposing. Start with the assumption that they are right and you are just missing something rather than assuming you are right and need to intervene.?
- Go with their approach whenever possible: Recognize your solution is just one of many good ones. Rather than forcing your decision, focus on refining their solution.
- Accept “Good Enough,” Coach for “Better”: Insistence on perfection is demoralizing and, counterintuitively, does not make the work better. The work will improve if you stop trying to fix things and, instead, give specific feedback on what is working and what will make it better next time.?
- Shift your mindset from “delegator” to “coach”: So often managers are trying to “do work through others.” I call this “marionetting.” Liz Wiseman calls this “one brain with many hands.” The remedy is to understand your role as a “coach” not a “taskmaster.”?
- Train them: If there are gaps in understanding or capabilities, figure out how you will address that gap. Often the best approach is breaking the work down into smaller pieces, letting the team own the parts they already do well and coaching them where they need help.?
- Recognize your own bad habits and solicit feedback: For me, it’s “solutioning” when people come to me with questions, rather than asking “what have you tried?” or “what do you think?” Whatever causes you to jump into their work, give the team ways of letting you know when you are overstepping so you can improve.?
None of this is to say that you can’t or shouldn’t intervene when the team is headed in a disastrous direction. Rather, the idea is to shift your energy to helping the team learn and grow so they can become more independent in the future. Remember: the goal of leadership is to create the conditions where the team functions at a high-level of performance even when you’re not there.??
Cross-posted on my blog. Connect with me here on LinkedIn to get more news, posts, and articles. Learn more about my book here at JeffSigel.com or on Amazon (The Middle Matters: A Toolkit for Middle Managers,) Or reach out to me at [email protected] if you’re interested in training for your middle leaders or coaching for yourself.
