Delegation, Ownership and Micromanagement

Micromanagement has been deemed to be counterproductive and unsustainable in the long run. People with this characteristic tend to believe that they are a paragon of productivity. However, one needs to understand that being committed to work does not assure efficiency. It is certainly more complicated and demands better interpersonal skills.

If there is a voice in your head that is constantly screaming ‘I can do everything’, then, there lies your problem. It condenses the idea of micromanagement and the nervousness around it, which drives a person to work on every little thing.

How is Micromanagement afflicting you?

It is destroying your focus. If you are relentlessly worried about your team, then as a leader, you will fail to see what lies ahead. Getting worked up about every mail being sent out by your employee and feeling the need to check it, can draw you away from your objectives. Squandering your energy on routine details will be an impediment for your own growth.

Look at the bigger picture

The multitasker in you will want to wear many hats, but you need to accept that you cannot single-handedly resolve the problems in your organization. Your role should be of a supervisor who leads the team and helps their employees in reaching their potential. So what you need is an action plan with a checklist of objectives. Set your priorities, the ones that will help you grow as a leader, so that, in turn, you can help your team.

How is Micromanagement afflicting your employees?

Understand that controlling every little thing can be suffocating and hamper productivity. An employee, who has been hired through a rigorous interview process and has been trained to do his job, will feel discouraged if ideas never see the light of the day. It is important that an employee’s commitment to work is respected.

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If the manager is constantly looking over his shoulder and engaging in pedantic fault-finding then no one would want to do their work. This can be a constant reminder of how anything that a team member will do is never going to be ‘right’. So, he might as well not do it. Also, there will be another person who is always around to do his work. No one will want to put in extra effort and contribute any ideas. This is how micromanagement is the culprit behind inefficiency and leads to mediocrity at a workplace.

Fostering Ownership

As a leader, you will have to find strategic ways to build your team and support them without doing their work. The leader needs to motivate his team, push them to achieve goals, and fulfil the potential of the members.

Trust People

Maybe it is the perfectionist in you who does not trust other people’s abilities. But accept the fact that you are not dealing with school kids who need constant attending. When you trust people, it gives them a sense of responsibility and builds confidence.

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You can start by giving them lesser important projects and a space to make mistakes. If they make mistakes, they will be accountable for it and learn from it. This will also work as a test for you because you will try to let go of your micromanaging ways by delegating work to others and giving them an opportunity to deliver their own work. This is how an employee grows at a workplace as he takes pride in his work and you foster a sense of ownership in them.

Delegation

The principle of delegation can be quite tricky but also an important way to challenge yourself and your team members. Avoid ‘drive by delegation’ and communicate well with your employees for optimum results. Give specifications about the task and discuss the outcome you are seeking and expecting from them. It is also important to make sure that you are on the same page as your employees on the instructions related to the assigned task. Once that is confirmed and communicated properly, let them deliver their work. Delegation helps people in taking more ownership and boosts their morale when the plan is done right.

Communicate

You can keep your micromanagement in check and gradually overcome it altogether by taking feedback from your team. They are the ones working for you and most familiar with your methods. They are the right people to tell you where you are going wrong and what you can do to improve. It will also help you look at the situation from a different perspective and lead to insights.

Defeating micromanagement is going to be a challenging task, especially if you are a perfectionist who likes things a certain way. It will demand a lot of work and discipline, but once you overcome it, you will achieve greater things. You will have more time to work on yourself and a better relationship with your employees.

Reach out to Kamelia Allow, an ICF Certified Business Coach, via email coach@kameliaallow.com or book a free discovery session to stop procrastinating and start living!