Sometimes micro managing seems like a necessity. You have employees who don’t follow through and others who never seem to produce the results you want. How else can you get outcomes you want if you don’t stay on top of people and keep telling them what you want?

It’s a question I get asked all the time. Certainly there are times that heavy handedness is called for when managing some people. Yet micro managing can have a detrimental effect on your business.

Micro Managing

Do you see yourself here?

1. You give an assignment and then tell them how to do it.
2. After an assignment or project is completed, or even part way through, you interject with what’s wrong and what you want changed.
3. You ask others for ideas, but only yours are used.
4. Routinely you’re asking for status and/or tapping people to remind them that a deadline is approaching.

Maybe this isn’t you all the time, but I’m betting if you said ‘yes’ to even one of these, you are micro managing more than you think.

What’s the Big Deal?

Why do I say that micro managing can be hurting your business?

1. If we are always telling others what to do and how to do it, they don’t learn to think for themselves. Should there be a challenge they will come running to you for the answer. They don’t develop the skills to noodle through a problem or think creatively.
2. It limits the growth of your business because all ideas have to come from you. Even the most creative thinkers need others to help them think more broadly or in ways we can’t.
3. As long as you are checking status and following up, they don’t have to be accountable. They know you’ll keep the process moving along so why worry about it?
4. If it’s your idea and it doesn’t work out, they don’t have to accept any responsibility. After all, they did what you told them to do.
5. You hinder productivity because your employees have to stop and keep responding to your emails or requests for updates.
6. You never really learn the real potential of your employees.

Leadership and Performance

As a leader, part of our job is to get the best out of the people we manage. For new hires, we have to be specific about what we want so they understand our expectations and can deliver. At some point it’s critical that we let them fly on their own so we can determine where they still need help and their real potential.

Think of it this way. If you have children and always do their homework or projects, what do they learn? They learn that it’s ok not to learn and making mistakes is not an option. They learn that someone else is going to be responsible and they don’t have to accept responsibility. Perhaps, most importantly, they learn that they aren’t good enough because you, the parent, step in to do it for them. You are teaching them lessons that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

The same is true for employees. If what they think isn’t good enough, they learn not to think. If someone is always checking in on them, they learn not to have to manage their own time and deadlines. You get the picture.

Some people require more hand holding then others, that’s clear. But if your leadership style is one of micro managing, more often than not you are hurting your business. Step back and allow others to offer ideas, and take them whenever possible. Allow them to stumble, fall, and yes even fail at times. You won’t know what they can do until you give them an opportunity to show you.