How to lead without micromanaging in workplaces

Wanting to keep track of your team’s progress and productivity is normal, but there’s also a tiny line between leadership and micromanaging.

In fact, a study from Leadership IQ shows that the optimal time an employee should engage with their manager is about six hours a week. This means all email exchanges, group meetings, phone calls, and one-on-one meetings should not exceed six hours a week because this contributes to the employee feeling more engaged, inspired, and innovative.

Keeping employees under control makes them start to feel discouraged and unproductive, so as a leader, you might think you’re moving forward, but meanwhile, you might actually be interfering and hindering their performance. People need freedom not just to enable their unconstrained thinking but also to buy into their progress.

So here is a guide to lead a team effectively without having to micromanage them.

What is micromanagement?

Micromanagement in a workplace is a management style that seeks to excessively be involved and control their teams to obtain immediate results or impose their way of thinking to drive results.

This can be due to exaggerating details, measuring progress frequently, and overobsessing over every piece of information.

This is one of the quickest ways to shut down productivity and also improve employee turnover. Maybe not deliberate, but the outcomes are usually fed-up teams and burnout.

It’s important for leaders to be content with taking an occasional backseat and allowing their teams to go about their business.

Effect of micromanagement in workplaces.

As a leader, you might not know, but there is a 50% chance that the reason for constant unproductivity and employee turnover is as a result of the “unwanted help” you give your employees.

1. Leaders that micromanage their employees are either rebellious or unable to make independent decisions. They leave you as a leader to constantly put on and off the fire rather than focus on the larger tasks that only you can perform.
2. It makes employees demotivated. Employees who suffer from micromanagement start to question whether their manager trusts their judgment or understands the work assigned in the first place.
3. It’s time-wasting and exhausting. Any meetings or calls more than six hours a week leave the team less engaged and inspired. According to Steve Jobs, it doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. You only micromanage employees you think are “not smart” enough to get the work done.

How to lead without micromanaging in workplaces.

To lead without micromanaging, it’s important you set people up in the right way, and if you get this piece right, you’re going to massively reduce the likelihood that you’ll need to micromanage them.

1. Delegate tasks effectively: Leaders need to trust their team members with responsibilities and provide them with the necessary resources to complete their tasks. This helps reduce micromanaging as team members know what they are expected to do.
2. Guide more and do less: It’s easy to get frustrated sometimes and believe doing it yourself just makes it better. Rather than taking all the work for yourself, reduce the temptation to do it and provide them with useful tasks weekly
3. Be clear with your goals: When expectations are unclear, employees won’t know what’s required of them, which results in lower performance. So take that time to communicate and be clear about the results you expect to see.
4. Empower your team in training: Providing opportunities for ongoing learning and development helps teams enhance their skills and confidence, enabling them to handle their responsibilities more effectively.
5. Provide feedback and recognition: Provide timely and specific feedback to help team members improve. Recognize and celebrate success to boost morale and motivation.
6. Foster a collaborative environment: Create a space where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns. Demonstrate the behaviors you expect from your team, such as trust, respect, and accountability.
7. Encourage team bonding: It’s important to encourage team bonding to develop your ability to understand and support your team members. With the help of YellowLyfe, you can get all the help you need to bond with your team members.

The constant quest to find the right balance between leadership and control is something you need to pay attention to. People should be given the expectation of becoming more autonomous over time. Then, and only then, can you give them the accountability that really drives superior performance!