Micromanagement is a style of management where a manager closely watches and controls the work done by company employees. The idea is to make sure tasks are done precisely and in accordance with how upper management dictates. While this technique may seem logical to those in charge, it is not the ideal way to run a business. Managing well requires delicate skills, which leads to balancing decisions that work best for the overall goals of a company. This must include respect for employees and treating them as human beings. When choosing a management method, consider why micromanaging might be a bad idea for your business. Start by looking at these three reasons why you will want to avoid micromanaging.
Employees are people not machines
Your employees are people, not machines. They come willing to work hard, but also have all of the personalities and emotions that make up a human being. Employees want to feel they are recognized and valued for their work rather than being in a situation where they often feel critiqued. Crushing their potential by constantly looking over their shoulders and giving criticism when they fall short of high demands will not only demoralize your workers, but your company culture as well.
Empower your employees with the skills and confidence they need to get the job done well. Entrepreneur offers suggestions for how to stop micromanaging your team and describes how employees who feel they play an important role in their company tend to work harder and offer valuable contributions.
You have lost control
If you don’t stop micromanaging, you will be the one overworked, which will lead to your own exhaustion and burn out as a boss. A true leader knows the art of delegating tasks and overseeing the work that others complete. This requires trust and skill in knowing who to assign to what job. Keep in mind that your employees were hired because of their qualifications and experience to do the job at hand. So, instead of micromanaging, provide proper training and then step back to oversee their efforts giving praise for achievements and jobs well done.
Productivity is lost
When workers fear failure or criticism due to micromanagement of their tasks, it tends to bring productivity to a screeching halt. The reason for this is that for some workers, the fear of being reprimanded for lack of attention to minute details often paralyzes their ability to get started on the job at hand. For others, knowing that a boss is constantly looking over their shoulders causes them to not try to achieve higher goals as they feel everything will need to be redone due to criticism regardless. Some employees may begin to resent the lack of trust and quit altogether, which places you in the position of going back to hiring and training.
Lighten the load and stress that goes hand-in-hand with micromanaging and begin to trust your employees to do the job they were hired to do. Provide better training to ensure your staff is equipped to succeed with the tasks at hand. In the long run, ditching the idea of micromanaging will result in better productivity and employees who are encouraged to go the extra mile instead of feeling crushed under the microscope.