It is sometimes the role or even the people s/he manages which turns the most good leaders into micromanagers.
If you are a self-aware manager, you might realize you are falling into the pit of micromanaging. But most often than not, many managers don’t even realize that they have been micromanaging.
Losing people, their productivity, and/or your influence while managing people are 3 sure shot signs that you are micromanaging leading to you having to do more work, being worried or stressed, and feeling choked.
If you are seeing these symptoms, then it is high time you take steps to get rid of the micromanaging habit. And here are 3 idiot-proof ways to to get you going:
#1: Set up a weekly cadence
Don’t ask for work status all the time. This will start with you not getting stressed on paltry things. Successful leaders know that they need not be in control of everything. Some things are done best when left to be done by your team.
So instead of nagging your team with updates all the time, getting into the habit of setting goals for them and set up a weekly cadence instead. Allow the team to talk about what they have done and want to do. Give them an opportunity to reflect and understand how they are contributing. Self-realization is the best way to make team members take more responsibility.
#2: Build a culture of trust.
It starts with you trusting your team’s expertise. A lot of managers think some tasks are too critical to be done by the team or are beyond the team’s capability. This could be true. But great leadership is when they get a chance to do these tasks under your guidance, so they learn and gear up to do it independently the next time.
So believe that your team has it in them to do it with a little help from your end.
#3: Resist doing everything yourself.
Perfectionism kills. You need to let go of the desire to do things perfectly.
When you understand that, you can delegate more. This way you will allow your team to take more responsibilities and help them grow. Your workload will considerably drop and your productivity will increase as side-effects.
Once you have implemented these 3, strive to go beyond by-
#4: Rewarding failures.
Most of the time your team is not ready for more responsibilities because of the fear of failure. They are afraid that they do things and you don’t approve of it. In this case, they prefer not to do it. As a result, you end up doing double the work. So reward failures.
Let your team know that it is human to fail, and you are okay if they do. You are there to help and guide them. You will stand by them to swing these failures into future success.
#5: Leading with your heart.
To be a superlative leader, you must lead with your heart. When you love your team members the way you love your family they have a sense of belonging. Your team members are your family too. When you treat them that way, they will want to own up their work and do better.
So the next time you micromanage, take a step back. Empower your team and become an effective leader.