How to Stop Micromanaging in 3 Easy Steps

Summary

The article outlines three steps for managers to curb micromanagement by adopting a coaching approach, recognizing good performance, and kindly demanding higher standards.

Abstract

The "Managers’ Handbook" section of the website provides guidance on how to stop micromanaging by following three simple steps. It emphasizes the negative impact of micromanagement on employees' motivation and work quality. The first step encourages managers to act as coaches, offering teaching and guidance while setting high performance standards. The second step suggests catching employees doing something right and praising them, drawing from Ken Blanchard's concept of the "One Minute Manager." The third step involves demanding better performance in a kind manner, ensuring that managers maintain high team results without resorting to micromanagement. The article concludes by encouraging a shift in perspective from fault-finding to fostering excellence, making it easier to abandon micromanagement habits.

Opinions

Micromanagement is detrimental to employee motivation and leads to a decrease in the quality of work.
Employees dislike being closely monitored and given constant instructions, as it hinders their ability to think independently.
Managers often micromanage without realizing it, sometimes justifying their behavior with concerns about performance.
The best managers are those who coach their team members, providing feedback and pushing them towards their full potential.
Recognizing and praising employees for their good work is more effective than solely focusing on mistakes.
High performance standards can be achieved without being rude or aggressive; kind encouragement is key.
Changing one's management style from looking for faults to building excellence is crucial in overcoming the urge to micromanage.

Instead of peeking over the shoulder of your staff, follow these 3 simple steps

Admit it — you hate someone peeking over your shoulders. It doesn’t matter what you are doing — you may be reading that juicy article about your favourite movie star or struggling with a complicated spreadsheet, you will hate it if your manager peeks at your screen.

Imagine you are typing away on the keyboard. Your boss comes around, stares at your screen and starts directing you. First, you will be a little peeved. Then your annoyance will grow and finally, you’ll stand up, turn around and ask — tell me which key to press.

Real-life may not be so dramatic, but the reality isn’t far off. When people are given microinstructions, they stop thinking for themselves. Their motivation wanes, and they turn in the minimum work required to keep their job.

Now you don’t want to be the micromanager. If you do, it essentially means you are taking on double the work — your own work plus this robot person you are instructing on every step of the way.

Managers are often oblivious to their own habit of micromanaging, or they justify their actions by citing performance issues. Think about your last interaction with any of your staff members. Do you remember the look on their face? Were they happy or cringing?

Next time you approach them, notice their body language. Are they eager to talk to you? If not, you may be guilty of micromanaging. Don’t worry, you are not alone. We all slide into command and control now and then.

Here are three steps to garner performance without micromanagement:

Step 2: Catch People Doing Something Right

As Ken Blanchard wrote in his famous book, The One Minute Manager, notice people doing something right instead of pointing out what they are doing wrong. Praise them for what they got right. Pointing out the errors discourages people. If you need to correct someone, gently teach them the right way to do things, as a coach.

Step 3: Demand Performance (kindly)

As a manager, you are responsible for your team results. Giving up micromanagement doesn’t mean accepting poor performance. You don’t need to be rude or aggressive to get people to improve. You can kindly encourage them to raise the bar. For example, you could say “this is a great start, and you can do better. Let’s discuss how we can make this awesome” and then put on your coaching hat.

Managers’ Handbook

How to Stop Micromanaging in 3 Easy Steps

Instead of peeking over the shoulder of your staff, follow these 3 simple steps

Step 1: Be a Coach

Step 2: Catch People Doing Something Right

Step 3: Demand Performance (kindly)

Final Thoughts