Micromanaging, the close control of every part of someone's work, is a quick way to demoralize employees. By identifying the source of their micromanaging tendencies, leaders can foster
As experts in people management, HR professionals can play an important role in helping diagnose why micromanagement is happening and
Identifying the issue
Before jumping to the conclusion that someone is simply a bad leader, figure out the "why" behind their micromanaging behavior, says Justin Hale, an adviser and author at leadership skills company Crucial Learning. Is it truly unjustified, or do they have reason to believe their employees need this amount of oversight, such as professional inexperience or a history of underperformance?
At the end of the day, micromanaging often stems from a leader being concerned about the work they are responsible for, Hale says. But instead of helping employees perform well through good communication and direction, these managers take an
"Micromanaging is almost always a conversation that a leader is acting out rather than talking about, meaning that leader feels nervous, they feel vulnerable, and so they act out through incessant hovering and controlling and checking in," Hale says.
Read more:
Lending a hand to leadership
Whether taking on a training role themselves or bringing in a third party, HR can give leaders the skills they need to adjust their micromanagement approach.
Managers should learn to look at the task they are assigning and assess the risk level, Hale says. For example, is the task straightforward, and is it being handed to an experienced, trustworthy employee? If so, a manager can let the employee know that if they have any questions, they can check back at any point before the due date. However, if the task is being assigned to someone less capable, a check up — a designated meeting prior to a deadline to see how things are going — might be a better plan, Hale says.
Another crucial part of the managing process is setting clear expectations, says Hale.
"Most leaders think they're being very specific when they're setting expectations for a task or a project, but they're almost always too vague," he says. "And then as we start progressing towards the deadline, I'm not seeing what I was hoping for, and so I come back to try to start correcting. A lot of micromanaging wouldn't happen if people were much more clear, and that's on the leader."
Read more:
An open line of communication between managers and their employees should be encouraged, further ensuring a task gets done the right way, the first time.
"It's an opportunity for leaders to develop a skill set of greater specificity when setting expectations, and for employees to not be afraid to ask them a clarifying question," Hale says. "That way, it minimizes the likelihood that [there's] going to be a misunderstanding, or a gap between what a manager wants and what an employee gives them."
To go a step further in creating a high-performing team, managers should also be taught to get to know the working style of their employees and what motivates them, says Hale. When a manager understands how an individual works, it can increase their comfort level with more flexibility, which in turn shows respect, he says.
"Get a sense of people's personalities and core motives, things that give them a sense of fulfillment at work and help them feel like they're doing a good job," Hale says. "That question doesn't take that long, and managers will be able to leverage that in a meaningful way to help employees be their best and to help get the most out of them for the organization's sake."
Make training a regular thing
For training to have the greatest impact, periodic, bite-sized chunks are the way to go, Hale says. Interactive experiences that allow managers to put new skills into practice, then following up so they can share feedback and ask questions, is especially helpful.
"The helpful thing is to focus on learning experiences — it can't just be on ideas and theories and concepts," Hale says. "They need to be able to go to a learning [session] where they learn a skill and then practice that skill in that session."
Read more:
HR can tap internal leaders who demonstrate excellent skills as coaches and mentors, and bring in companies like Crucial Learning, which offers multiple leadership training and learning programs for individuals and teams.
Hale reminds anyone trying to help leaders correct their micromanaging habit that it is a process, not an overnight fix.
"If you're trying to influence the behavior of a group of leaders, you need to think holistically about how you're going to help them change," he says. "If leaders are micromanaging, there's likely a variety of things that are driving that. HR folks should [work to] understand the why of human behavior that's happening and try to help people change."
