Are You Leading Your Team or Micromanaging Them?

Are you leading your team or micromanaging them? If you're like most business owners, you daydream of having a winning team that supports your growing company.

Are you leading team members to be successful and engaged in your vision, or are you stuck in the ineffectual approach of micromanaging them?

In this article, we’ll look at the leadership style of micromanaging teams.  And, how this style has a negative impact on company growth and relationships.  

What’s the Difference between Managing and Micromanaging?

Without realizing it...

You may unintentionally be blocking the expansion and financial growth of your business by micromanaging your most valuable company resources - your team.  

According to a Harvard Business Review article, “Signs That You’re a Micromanager” the difference between managing and micromanaging is the focus of the “micro’. 

At the core of moving away from micromanaging is letting go of the minutiae. 

If you’re like most micromanagers, you probably don’t even know that you’re doing it.

When Business Owners and Their Managers Lead by Micromanaging.

It’s an undeniable fact. When leaders micromanage, their people are not fully engaged in the company's vision, mission and goals.  This lack of engagement contributes to loss of momentum in growth and expansion.  

The business takes a hit when the leader and it's manager try to control every aspect of how team members perform their role or even tasks within their roles. 

Actually, micromanagement is a complete waste of everyone’s time! 

And, this style of management does more harm than good for the organization’s success and productivity.

It suggests the leader must have total control, doesn’t trust the team or doesn’t have faith in their ability to do the job.

The role of the Visionary CEO leader and their leadership team is to provide guidance and support.

A collaborative leader invests time to build relationships, handle conflicts in a constructive manner, and share control. 

The organization’s is best served when the leader facilitates a healthy company culture where team members are free to perform at their best.  

"It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do.  We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do."
~Steve Jobs

Micromanagement Kills Productivity?

The micromanagement style of leadership stifles creativity and innovation in your company. 

When you insist that all decisions must go through you and every idea is scrutinized, your team members will stagnate. 

Efforts to move day-to-day tasks, projects and company goals forward stalls out. 

This brings about immense frustration and anxiety for the CEO leader and their managers.

The company’s momentum and growth are bottle-necked.

And, here’s why. 

Most often the team member:

If you’re a business leader who feels you must control everything, you may want to take some time to evaluate your leadership style. 

How does your need to control everything move the business forward?

Some Common Signs You May Be Micromanaging Your Team.

Sure, paying attention to details and ensuring that tasks are completed is important...

And, you may feel that the above are all a necessary part of managing.  

But, that level of intensity and scrutiny is not always warranted.  

Once a team member is trained in their role, understands their job responsibilities and how they fit into the company's overall vision, mission and goals

...they must be given the space to move within that role.

When skilled and experienced team members are properly recruited, hired and trained properly they will produce bigger results than you may have been able to deliver on your own.    

When you begin micromanaging their every move...

You are harming your team’s morale and ultimately – their productivity.

As a CEO and business owner of a growing company,

...your focus and energy are needed in higher-level areas of the business.  

You'll want to focus on tasks that ONLY you can do to move the company forward in profit, reach and purpose.

You'll need to figure out that the small stuff is no longer worth your time and begin trusting your team to get things done.

It’s time to get out of the weeds and start spending time on higher-level strategic and profit growing activities that will grow your business into the future.  

Can Micromanaging Be A Good Thing?

Actually, as it turns out some level micromanaging can be a good thing under the right circumstances.

But, for a brief period.  It all goes back to the level of intensity.  

When new team members are recruited and hired, the CEO leader and/or managers have a responsibility to onboard them properly.  

As the leader you want to feel secure the new team member understand their role, the job responsibilities of that role, and how they and that role fits into the overall company vision, mission and goals.  

Here's how I deal with the itch to micromanage.

I've been partnering women CEOs and business owners running serviced-based online companies since 2008.

Operating in the role of Integrator, often called a Virtual COO, I recruit, hire and manage my clients online teams.  

I've discovered that when I need to step in and temporarily micromanage a task or project I've assigned to a team member, that's an flare over the bow that I need to pay attention to.   Notice I said temporary. 

During the recruiting, interviewing and training process for new team members, I always level-set expectations with the team member.  

I’m completely open with them regarding my attitudes on micromanaging.  We also discuss how we will hold each-other accountable in a healthy process that best serves our client's business.  

As a Second-in-Command leader and manager, it is my role to recruit and hire the right people for the right seats in the business.  

The next step is to prepare them to feel respected and supported from the very beginning of their relationship with the company.  

They're made aware that if I begin micromanaging them at any time after this initial on-boarding training I'm not feeling secure about something.  

They can expect that I'll schedule a call with them, if they don't approach me first so we can get back on track.  

I don’t like being a micromanager.  

I don’t have a hang-up about being in control; it’s not my leadership style. 

The power and control I pin my energies to are what we (the team) can accomplish for our client’s business goals and company growth.

My attitude regarding micromanaging...

But, I will when needed for a brief period.   

My client’s team members and I maintain solid communication. 

They know that if I begin micromanaging after an initial period of training, or presentation of a new project or task, that is a clear sign to them that we need to talk and determine how we need to get back on track in their role.    

In the example above the manager leading the team is me.

My clients are women CEOs and business owners whose business growth dictates they hire a Second-in-Command role.  This role supports the business by pulling the CEO out of the weeds of running the business in order to grow and scale their business.

The CEO leader must have the time and innovative energy to focus on high-level tasks that only they can do as the CEO and business owner to lead and grow the company into the future. 

Occasionally, in my role as the Integrator, reporting directly to the Visionary, attempts to micromanage my role rears its ugly head. 

It’s completely normal for the founder and CEO to feel some pangs of nervousness when beginning to share responsibilities and control of the growing business. 

The company is their baby. 

In those times open and honest communication is imperative in order to get on the other side of those feelings of loss of control.   

This is where we revisit the vision, mission, and goals of the company to recommit to what serves the highest good of the company.

Conclusion:

Have you been unintentionally blocking your company’s growth by micromanaging your team?

A leader and manager's job is to provide guidance and support.  

I hear it all the time from women CEOs and business owners how they want to build a dream team to support their vision and the company’s growth.

And, sadly, too many continue to spin in their business.

They struggle to gain traction to move forward.  They are still focused on tasks that should be delegated to competent team members and give them the space to bring them the results, they so badly want for their company.  

Prolonged micromanagement breeds resentment and disloyalty.  

If you're a CEO and business owner who is serious about building wealth, freedom and ongoing success, you must learn to delegate and then let go to grow.  

As the CEO leader of the company, you want to be the Visionary leader and “hero” to your team.

When you hire someone, it means you believe they are capable of performing in the role you hired them for. 

Trust them to get it done. 

They most likely will not do it the same way you would.  They’re wired differently than you, which is actually a good thing for the business.  They have skills and experience in accomplishing the results you want.  They need the space to show you the value they bring to the table.    

You want the amazing results a capable and competent team member delivers for your company's growth.