Are you a micromanager?
Knowing how much supervision to give can be difficult: too little, and people could become lost and unproductive; too much, and you could end up with freaked-out, demoralized employees. Despite good intentions, micromanagers ultimately hurt their business as their supervisory style results in low morale, wasted time and often, high turnover.
It’s All About Trust
Micromanagement implies a lack of trust. It begins with a manager giving too many instructions to employees and worsens over time until people mentally check out as they realize that whatever they do will be either redone or hyper-scrutinized and critiqued.
This leads to a vicious cycle: Employees start to avoid their manager because they become so frustrated. This makes the manager hover over them even more, because they aren’t getting the constant feedback they crave. It’s not a pretty picture.
If you have “checked-out” employees, you won’t get the same level of productivity, creativity or long-term loyalty you would from people who are encouraged to think and act on their own. In recent research studies:
- 70 percent of employees said micromanagement interfered with their successful job performance.
- 60 percent of employees said they had left a job due to micromanagement.
Recognize These Signs?
You might be a micromanager if …
- You tell your employees exactly what to do – and how and when to do it – just about all the time.
- Your team members lack the freedom to make their own decisions – even minor ones – without running them by you first.
- Your employees spend more time reporting on their progress than they do actually working on projects and tasks.
- You focus too much on mundane, unimportant things such as simple grammatical errors in a 20-page proposal, versus the overall content and its potential value.
- You actually do your employees work for them!
How to Avoid Micromanagement
If you want to avoid being a micromanager or change your ways if you feel you’re headed down that path, here are some ideas to get you started:
- Ask “why.” What is the underlying reason for your tendency to micromanage? Do you question your employees’ ability to get their jobs done or are you simply more comfortable when you’re in control? Once you pinpoint the reason, you can determine your next step to overcoming the problem.
- Learn to delegate. Take a step back and realize your employees’ ideas can be just as good as your own. Or if you have team members who are not performing up to par, take the necessary measures to either train and improve or replace them.
The PrideStaff Fresno team can help you address your ongoing workforce development issues, including those related to management or performance challenges. Contact us today for a customized solution to your talent management issues and staffing plans.