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Volume 4, Issue 1;   January 7, 2004: There Are No Micromanagers

There Are No Micromanagers

by

If you're a manager who micromanages, you're probably trying as best you can to help your organization meet its responsibilities. Still, you might feel that people are unhappy — that whatever you're doing isn't working. There is another way.

Despite a wide variety of management styles, most managers have two things in common. They're pretty sure they aren't micromanagers, and most have micromanaged somebody sometime.

I'm glad he isn't my bossSome of us know that we micromanage (or don't); others have some doubts. Here are Four Warning Signs of micromanagement:

  • When you charter a task, you feel a strong need to specify or approve exactly how it will be done.
  • You feel unsure about your understanding of what your people do, but you think you're concealing it pretty well.
  • You require status reports far more frequently than you need for constructive intervention.
  • You're so busy that delays happen frequently, while people wait for your input or sign-off.

You can change only
what you can acknowledge
If two or more of these indicators fit you, you probably feel that you're coping in the best way you can with the shortcomings of the people you supervise. But if their incompetence is a real factor, do something else — micromanagement isn't the answer. Training, transfer, reassignment, or replacement work much better.

Sometimes, simply stepping out of the way works. Usually, if you just let people do their jobs, and let them make some mistakes, you'll be delighted with the results.

If you really want to stop micromanaging, here are six tips to put you on the path to a more peaceful and successful management experience.

Tune in to your own behavior
Becoming aware that you're micromanaging is difficult. Watch for the Four Warning Signs.
Hold a conversation with yourself
You'll be changing your behavior, but you can change only what you acknowledge. Gently, with understanding, tell yourself about your micromanaging.
Choose something different
The only way to change is to change. Promise yourself that you'll do things differently soon, and set a realistic start date.
Tell someone about it
Telling a real person seals the deal. Tell your coach, or tell a close confidant who isn't associated with your position at work. Include your start date and a description of your plans.
Do it
Start managing something small in a new way. When you make a task assignment, tell people the what, and let them work out the how, with help from you only if they ask. Be careful, though, because even if they're complaining about micromanagement, they might be uncomfortable with the change.
Be available to others
When you've made some real progress, look around your organization. Are any of your people micromanaging? How can you guide them in new directions without micromanaging them?

As you carry out this change, take care not to micromanage yourself. Focus not on how you change, but on what you change; not on lapses, but on successes. Remind yourself that there are no micromanagers — there are only managers who micromanage, and they can change. You will be proof of that. Go to top Top  Next issue: Email Antics: III  Next Issue

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More about micromanagement

I'm glad he isn't my bossThere Are No Micromanagers  [January 7, 2004]
If you're a manager who micromanages, you're probably trying as best you can to help your organization meet its responsibilities. Still, you might feel that people are unhappy — that whatever you're doing isn't working. There is another way.

A sleeping dogAre You Micromanaging Yourself?  [November 24, 2004]
Feeling distrusted and undervalued, we often attribute the problem to the behavior of others — to the micromanager who might be mistreating us. We tend not to examine our own contributions to the difficulty. Are you micromanaging yourself?

The 1991 eruption of Mount PinatuboManaging Pressure: Communications and Expectations  [December 13, 2006]
Pressed repeatedly for "status" reports, you might guess that they don't want status — they want progress. Things can get so nutty that responding to the status requests gets in the way of doing the job. How does this happen and what can you do about it? Here's Part I of a little catalog of tactics and strategies for dealing with pressure.

Freeway damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta, California, EarthquakeManaging Pressure: The Unexpected  [December 20, 2006]
When projects falter, we expect demands for status and explanations. What's puzzling is how often this happens to projects that aren't in trouble. Here's Part II of a catalog of strategies for managing pressure.

One of the Franklin Milestones on the Boston Post RoadManaging Pressure: Milestones and Deliveries  [December 27, 2006]
Pressed repeatedly for "status" reports, you might guess that they don't want status — they want progress. Things can get so nutty that responding to the status requests gets in the way of doing the job. How does this happen and what can you do about it? Here's Part III of a set of tactics and strategies for dealing with pressure.

Captain William BlighHow to Tell If You Work for a Nanomanager  [March 7, 2007]
By now, we've all heard of micromanagers, and some have experienced micromanagement firsthand. Some of us have even micromanaged others. But there's a breed of micromanagers whose behavior is so outlandish that they need a category of their own.

The USS Doyle as DMS-34, when she played The CaineReverse Micromanagement  [July 18, 2007]
Micromanagement is too familiar to too many of us. Less familiar is inappropriate interference in the reverse direction — in the work of our supervisors or even higher in the chain. Disciplinary action isn't always helpful, especially when some of the causes of reverse micromanagement are organizational.

Damage to Purple Loosestrife due to feeding by the galerucella beetleLateral Micromanagement  [September 10, 2008]
Lateral micromanagement is the unwelcome intrusion by one co-worker into the responsibilities of another. Far more than run-of-the-mill bossiness, it's often a concerted attempt to gain organizational power and rank, and it is toxic to teams.

The Niagara River and cantilever bridgeBottlenecks: I  [February 4, 2015]
Some people take on so much work that they become "bottlenecks." The people around them repeatedly find themselves stuck, awaiting responses or decisions. Why does this happen and what are the costs?

A schematic representation of a MOSFETBottlenecks: II  [February 11, 2015]
When some people take on so much work that they become "bottlenecks," they expose the organization to risks. Managing those risks is a first step to ending the bottlenecking pattern.

A demanding managerWhat Micromanaging Is and Isn't  [April 14, 2021]
Micromanaging is a dysfunctional pattern of management behavior, involving interference in the work others are supposedly doing. Confusion about what it is and what it isn't makes effective response difficult.

Eurasian cranes migrating to Meyghan Salt Lake, Markazi Province of IranOn Schedule Conflicts  [May 10, 2023]
Schedule conflicts happen from time to time, even when the organization is healthy and all is well. But when schedule conflicts are common, they might indicate that the organization is trying to do too much with too few people.

Reader Comments

John DeMassi
How about an article on the anti-micromanager (the hands-off manager)? I feel at times that I am providing not enough management to my employees. Obviously, the way you have written this article, I could be in denial. Being who I am and knowing my experiences, I will first doubt that thought.
I actually remember times and situations where I was a micromanaging nightmare. I remember how painful it was to force people to do it the way that I would do it and I even had reasons/excuses why it was the right thing to do at that time.
Now, I try to hire people who can run with a set of tasks and not "bother" me unless the sky is falling. I look for technical equals or potential technical equals. I try to steer a course and hope they stay in my wake. I have found that I cannot choreograph the outcome so I try to set the scene and let it happen with a set of bounds. I have found that change is inevitable. My coach/mentor used to say the goal is in cement but the plan is in sand. I use weekly status reports as a mechanism to get the individual to know what they did and to communicate it to me in a very succinct manner. I want three things. What did you do, what will you do next week and what is in your way.
— jdm

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