I am sure you have all – like me – had the misfortune of being managed by a micromanager. Or maybe, at times, you have even recognised yourself falling into the trap of micromanaging despite knowing it doesn’t work. It’s a pattern of insanity we can all break if we recognise why we are doing it and take the correct Key Steps to ‘be the difference that makes the difference’. There are two simple steps to help you overcome this soul destroying habit. This week we will take step one and ensure that we can answer an important question…
Why do you fall into the trap?
Your “Key Steps” Coaching for the week ahead:
Step #1: Ask yourself, “Why do managers micromanage?” Although each set of circumstances are unique and there could be many reasons why managers fall into the trap of micromanaging, they usually fall into one of the following six reasons:
1. They think they can do their staff’s jobs better.
2. They don’t trust their staff to do the job properly.
3. They don’t know what else to do (i.e. they might not have learnt how to coach, mentor, train and empower their team to do their jobs effectively or they might not be taking the time to do it!)
4. They have staff who, even after the necessary training, mentoring and coaching, are not competent, capable or willing to do their job.
5. They might be insecure and don’t want anyone to do a better job than them or to take credit for successes.
6. They simply haven’t thought through the motivation-killing, creativity-crushing effects of micromanaging staff.
Catch yourself this week – and it might not be at work, it might be at home (some of us micromanage our partners and kids too!) – and make a note of why you micromanage. If it’s your manager who is micromanaging, use this week to notice why and it can help you to change the dynamic. It’s important to become conscious and aware of doing it before next week so we can then take step two together and…
