Natalie Boehm is the Founder and President of The Defeating Epilepsy Foundation.
Leaders face numerous challenges when leading a team. Finding balance, establishing a healthy climate and communicating clearly are just a few things that a leader needs to do to help their team grow. Not all leaders have the capability to do that. Many leaders unknowingly prevent their teams from growing and establishing the climate that is needed.
The Business Impact Of Mircomanaging
One of the biggest things that prevents a team from growing is micromanaging. Micromanaging happens when managers feel the need to control their team members to the extreme. I can say I have worked in an environment where micromanaging was taking place, and to sum it up, it was a miserable experience.
When leaders feel the need to control your every move, do not take your opinions or suggestions seriously and decide that they know better than anyone on the team, that is when a company is headed for trouble.
The result?
Employees feel that they are not appreciated, trusted, taken seriously or valued. Employees look at their jobs as a paycheck and not as an opportunity to grow their careers. It creates high turnover, missed opportunities and a lack of growth. Once this pattern occurs, it becomes difficult to break, putting a company at risk of falling apart—and potentially going out of business.
So, if micromanaging creates such a negative impact, why do some leaders do it? According to Indeed, some of the common reasons that leaders micromanage their team include: “a fear of loss of control over projects,” “a belief that work deemed superior to their own may make them look inadequate” and “poor self-image and insecurities.”
All of those reasons above are a recipe for disaster. You cannot control every project that is taking place—you will burn out. You need to trust your team to do their work, and if they need you, they will let you know.
Becoming A Better Leader
Guide your team, but treat them as team players—and not like you’re a parent watching a child’s every move. If you act as if you’re superior to your team due to your position and feel the need to control their every move, you come across as arrogant and have bad character. Ultimately, your team won’t want to work with you.
Insecurities are more common than one wants to admit. If you are experiencing this, rather than micromanage your team, think of how you can better yourself so you can be a better leader.
I have seen firsthand that when a leader leaves, some companies just move the person who was under them up and expect them to jump right into the position. When people are put in leadership positions when they haven’t been properly trained or mentored, they will make mistakes—mistakes that can have a negative impact on everyone on the team.
If you are moved up into a position, see it as an opportunity to educate yourself. If you find you are lacking in an area, set goals to resolve that problem. Read books, get certified in the area you are lacking in, attend webinars, take some classes and just do what you can to become a strong leader.
No one is a perfect leader, but a leader who acknowledges they are human like their team and sets goals to grow can move up to the next level and become the leader their team deserves.
For leaders who have a history of micromanaging or are currently micromanaging their team, there are steps they can take to break the habit. The most important thing leaders can do is to let go. Allow your team members to take responsibility for their work. According to Psychology Today, “micromanaging stifles creativity, dampens motivation, and reduces productivity.”
As a leader, your job is to create goals for your team and create growth. You need to trust your teammates and encourage them to set goals for themselves. You want to establish long-term employment and have a team that knows how to work together, support one another and take the company to the next level. You are not going to be able to do that as a micromanager.
Creating Change
Micromanaging has a negative impact on a team and company, creating tension between leadership and the team. If you find yourself micromanaging, take a step back and set some goals to change your bad habits. You’re not the only one doing it, but you can be the one to create change for yourself and your team.
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