How to Manage Without Becoming a Micro-Manager
One of the hardest things for most employees to stomach is a manager that micromanages. You know, that person that tells you, “This is your project, I am giving you complete autonomy,” only to follow it up with behavior that makes you feel more like a robot than a free-thinking human. The net result of these types of managers is usually high turnover and low company moral.
Adding fuel to the fire, managers now have more management tools at their disposal than ever before. Tools that easily, and unwittingly, turn a great manager into a micromanager.
So what is a manager to do? You are responsible for a team of employees, you have very specific Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) that you are responsible for and the weight of the world is on your shoulders. How can you possibly get the job done, and make employees happy at the same time?
The answer is not an easy one, but here are some tips that can help you manage without micro-managing.
1. Don’t overload on tools and processes.
Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying you should chuck all your management tools and processes out the window. However, if your employees are spending more time documenting and planning their work than actually doing their work, you might have a problem.
For most organizations, a good project management tool like Trello, a performance management tool like Reflektive and a short weekly team meeting are all that you need. When you start adding layers and layers of “status” meetings, redundant processes and rigid controls, you risk becoming a micro-manager.
2. Don’t hover.
If you are not familiar with the term “helicopter parent,” it might be worth investigating a bit. In short, it is a style of child rearing in which an overprotective mother or father discourages a child’s independence by being too involved in the child’s life.
Like helicopter parents, micro-managers are far too involved in the work that employees do. There is nothing wrong with having an expectation about a deliverable. However, there’s a difference between sharing that expectation and dictating how to get to the desired result.
Your job as a manager is to clearly set the timeline and expectations for any task you assign. Share what you feel the final outcome should look like, but don’t give play-by-play instructions on how to get there. And don’t swoop in every few minutes for an update on how the project is going!
When in doubt, share the “what” and ask (rather than tell) employees how they plan to get there. You might be surprised at their approach, while different it might produce better results.
3. Become an expert communicator.
Great managers know that good communication is a two-way street. The most adept are experts at both listening and reading between the lines. Conversely, micromanagers prefer to focus only on what they have to say, while ignoring the thoughts and feedback of others. For them it is usually “my way or the highway.”
Mastering the art of listening isn’t easy though. You will likely feel tempted to share your own insights, opinions or assumptions while listening to employees. Avoid commentary or interjecting. Instead, ask open-ended follow-up questions. This provides evidence that you are hearing and listening to the person, and it shows you respect the person speaking and appreciate the information they are sharing.
4. Trust your employees.
Pressure to reach performance goals and control costs can lead even the best of managers to do things that unintentionally signal a lack of trust. When these pressures are extreme, many managers become super-focused on their own job security and respond by implementing extreme controls. This often leads to the type of behavior that puts bottom-line outcomes above all else, which comes at the expense of other priorities — like developing relationships and empowering employees.
The simple fact is, nobody can do it all on their own — not even the best of us. And, you hired your employees for a reason. Trust in that decision, and weather the storm as a team. It sure beats having to hire new staff every few months.
5. Focus on the mission, not yourself.
As the old saying goes, there is no “I” in “TEAM.” If it is all about you, then you probably shouldn’t be managing people.
Great managers often see themselves not as managers, but as part of the company mission. They fuse themselves with it, and their role from when they get up in the morning until they go to sleep at night is to totally focus on delivering on the company mission.
The best way to achieve this is to become a living, breathing, sleeping evangelist for your company — focusing on others, and helping others to succeed. This cannot be faked though; it has to be very real. To become a great manager, you have to believe in your employees and the mission of your company.
It’s not easy to break the micromanagement cycle, but it is possible. If you follow these steps, you will be able to build a better, more efficient and dedicated team. One that will help you grow your business enormously.
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