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MANAGEMENT: Avoiding Micromanagement
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altThe Importance of Trusting Lower Level Employees in Building Efficient Companies
 
For company bosses, especially those with their own money invested into the business, it is often tempting to follow the age old axiom that ‘if you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself’. A business leader’s vision and sense of what is right can often be the difference between success and failure in the market place. The late Steve Jobs of Apple Inc has been criticised many times for his dogmatic attitude towards product development and controlling management style. Nowadays it would be incredibly difficult to argue with the way he led his company when you look at the end results. Strong, visionary leadership is certainly not a bad thing in the corporate world. 
 
But in most cases, on an operational level, even the most driven and focused business chiefs have to rely on others to get things done. The great organisational thinker, Mary Parker Follet, once described good management as “the art of getting things done through people”. For companies to succeed, they depend almost entirely on managers and employees at all levels working effectively within their respective independent spheres of influence and responsibility.
 
‘Micro-management’ is a term that is almost always used with negative connotations. Managers who try to be actively involved in every aspect of a company’s daily operations run the risk of being seen as paranoid control freaks by other members of staff, and as a result, their actions will often have a negative effect on morale and productivity within the organisation. What are the symptoms of this efficiency ailment and how can managers identify when it is happening? If you are in charge of any other members of staff within your company, ask yourself the following questions:
 
• Do you often find yourself standing over subordinates’ shoulders, directing their work? 
• Do you regularly redo your employees' work, even as a form of instruction?
• Do you second-guess employees on a daily basis?
• Do you require sign-off on every task, no matter how minor? 
• Are you convinced of the truth of the old saying, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself"? 
• Do you work 12+ hours per day, trying to put out brushfires and rechecking everything you're responsible for?
• Do you have a hard time focusing on the big picture?
 
The chances are that if any the answer to any of these is ‘yes’, then you have, to some extent, let yourself become a ‘micro manger’. 
 
Some readers may be thinking “Maybe I am a ‘hands on’ manager, but so what?”, and in all fairness, it is difficult to decide when the line between ‘hands on’ management and ‘micromanagement’ has been crossed. Nevertheless, those working in a supervisory role should be conscious of these concepts. It goes without saying that holding onto talented employees is one of the most crucial tasks a company faces. A recent study by talent management researchers DDI reported that only half of the low level managers they surveyed felt that their bosses involved them in the processes of devising future business strategy and decision making. Furthermore, they found that a high proportion of respondents felt that their superiors did not trust them enough, and over 40% claimed to have left a job due to lack of faith or ill-feelings towards their boss. There are many reasons why managers upset their employees, ranging from person insults to lack of recognition for outstanding performances, but the chances are that micromanagement also plays a role. 
 
What is even more alarming is that people who are being overly controlling within the workplace may be suffering from underlying psychological and emotional problems. According to Harry Chambers, the author of ‘My way or the highway!’, whilst managers may have certain personality traits such as “detail orientedness and a severe urge to get things done quickly”, they may also be suffering from “emotional insecurities, trust issues and an inflated sense of self importance”.  He also points out that failure to delegate tasks and have confidence in others can increase your stress levels and distract you from your main objectives as a leader. Running a company, or even a department within a company, is already a difficult and stressful task. Micromanagement is not only bad for company morale, but also for your health.
 
So how can managers stop themselves from being ‘micro managers’? J. Keith Murnighan, distinguished professor at the Kellogg School of Management, North-western University, offers these points of advice:
 
1. Identify the breadth and range of your team members' skills so that you can let them do what they do well.
2. Do what you can to facilitate their performance. Think of it this way: what would your life be like if all of your team members lived up to their maximum potential? If you now have a very rosy image in mind, why not define your job as facilitating their performance? They will do better and your life will improve!
3. Trust your people more. If there are good people on your team, i.e., trustworthy people who have skills, why not trust them to do what they can do well? People thrive on trust. As every professional I've ever asked has said, when a leader trusts them more than they expected, they step up to show the leader that they were worthy of their trust. Thus, if you work with professional people, i.e. individuals who want to do a good job, trust them more. The odds are extremely good that they will step up and exert even more effort than they have before.
4. Think of yourself as a mini CEO. You are the leader of your team; you are probably their most important contact within the firm. When you think of yourself as a mini-CEO, you should follow the first rule for a CEO: Walk the floor. This means being in touch with your team members and asking them how they are doing and how you can help make their jobs easier. They won't ask for a multi-million dollar piece of equipment and they'll appreciate the personal attention. The moral of this story is simple: People love to be trusted; they dislike micro managers; leaders are naturally programmed to be pro-active, and this can get in the way of effective performance.
 
Although it is hard to scientifically evaluate the actual loss of productivity caused by micromanagement, it is certainly one of the most important issues in terms of maintaining a highly effective company framework. Ultimately, whatever causes individuals to adopt this kind of approach to management, the good news is that it is not an issue that can’t be resolved with a little bit of objective self-reflection. Managers should primarily aim to facilitate others to get their work done well- as opposed to doing everyone’s work for them. Trying to do everything will more than likely be detrimental to your organisation. 
 
 

 
By Tracy Hall 
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