The impact of micromanaging
By NANCY PROFFITT, Certified Business Coach Proffitt Management Solutions
Throughout my career in corporate management and as a Certified Business Coach to many successful organizations, I have discovered an underlying destructive problem which tends to be ignored by many managers but not true leaders. That dilemma is micromanaging.
Micromanaging people costs companies, large and small, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in so many ways. Yet most people do not even seem to recognize it exists within their own leadership style or that of their management people. Is productivity down? Are people on edge? Is morale low? Do you have high turnover or are people reluctant to discuss their needs with you? All of these things cost you, the manger or business owner more money than you imagine, and is often a result of micro managing.
Micromanaging and leading others to want to do what you need done are as different as night and day. One is invasive and disruptive presenting no healthy motivational environment while the other is supportive with clear expectations toward a common set of goals, while creating a culture of respect.
Most of us do not consider ourselves to be micromanagers. Instead you think you are helping the company control profits while trying unsuccessfully to increase productivity long term and imagined efficiencies. After all, you want to help your company meet its responsibilities, right? How do you know if you are a micromanager?
Ask yourself:
— When giving an assignment to people do you elaborate on how to do it instead of allowing them the freedom to develop solutions and complete the task on their own?
— Do you frequently approach people in their workspace asking for updates and giving unsolicited advice on what should be done?
— Are you constantly “hawking” over your employees to ensure they are really working?
— Do delays often happen while your employees wait for a decision from you? After all you are very busy when overly involved in so many tasks.
— Are your people reluctant to give you full details for fear you will pontificate as to what they should do?
If any of these scenarios ring true, then you may be that consummate micromanager.
The question becomes why do you feel the need to micromanage? It is all about your attitude about yourself first. Most often the answer lies within you and not with the employees’ ability to complete the task. It comes from a need to control, or a lack of confidence in yourself. Maybe you are unsure of your hiring decisions. The unreasonable notion that you must avoid all mistakes at all costs, which unknowingly destroys your credibility as a manager, is often further reasons for some managers to micromanage.
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great writes of “not having the right people on the bus” or “not having people in the right seat on your bus.” If that is the case, you must make the decision to get the right people in the right place as soon as possible. It will help alleviate your need to micromanage so you can get back to what you really need to do as a successful leader. Successful leaders see the big picture, develop plans and goals to accomplish what it is they need done and motivate others to want to do what is needed.
Confidence in yourself and your decisions is a must before we can trust others or before they will trust you. This self confidence will help eliminate the need to micromanage and reduce the destructive results of micromanaging. This then creates a trusting environment in which your employees will step up and get it done because they WANT to. Now that is a win-win.
Nancy Proffitt, MBA, Certified Business Coach is the president of Proffitt Management Solutions and Proffitt Management Leadership Institute, an internationally recognized Leadership coaching firm dedicated to unleashing the full potential of individuals and organizations. She may be reached at 561-682-6060 or email: Nancy@proffittmanagement.com . Visit her website at www.proffittmanagement.com
