Micro-management is one of the worst habits of team managers. A situation in which a superior controls every step of their employees leads to frustration, overload for the manager, and ultimately to an unpleasant team atmosphere, inefficient work, and stagnation in employee development. Could you also be a micro-manager? Here are four signals that may indicate that you are excessively controlling your subordinates.
You do not allow subordinates to develop and work independently
According to Forbes, a typical micro-manager is someone who wants to have everything so tightly under control that they do not give their subordinates any space for mistakes, personal development, or independent work. As a result, employees have no opportunity to progress. They cannot develop and may gradually become apathetic or frustrated. Due to the lack of development, the team as a whole loses effectiveness and competitiveness.
You give advice even when it is not appropriate
Another typical sign of micro-management is giving advice even in situations where it has not been requested and is not necessary. Even if your advice is well intentioned, consider whether it is truly needed in the given situation or whether it would be better to allow the employee to work independently.
Your subordinates are reluctant to share details about their work
A consequence and indicator of micro-management may also be that employees stop sharing details about their work. When describing their activities and the status of current projects, they avoid going into detail because they know there is a risk that you will interfere excessively and address every minor issue.
You try to turn your subordinates into your clones
Do you believe that you can do the work best? Do you feel uncomfortable delegating tasks when the outcome is naturally somewhat different from how you would have done it yourself? This is a common core issue of micro-management, and as a leader you must learn to respect the fact that everyone works differently, produces slightly different results, and that not everything can always be exactly according to your expectations.
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