Micromanagers Miss the Mark

Posted on December 10, 2009
Filed Under Management Styles | Leave a Comment

I was reading in the Wall Street Journal Leadership section today (a great collection of articles and videos interviewing top CEOs about day-to-day management issues) and saw a great article entitled “Micromanagers Miss Bull’s-Eye.” Many managers are tempted, especially in a down economy when every dollar counts, to become over-involved with minutia of day-to-day operations instead of focusing on strategic direction and growth. For some, it’s just a control issue. For others, fear of the next economic turn and obsession with costs drives them to try to stay vested in every process and activity going on in the office. Whatever the motivation, micromanaging squelches creativity and motivation in employees and communicates to them that you do not trust them to make decisions on their own.

As the article puts it:

“Leadership experts say micromanagers — from small-business owners to managers in large organizations — share an unwillingness to trust subordinates; still, many can be successful, to a point.”

“The best managers help employees learn to work independently by giving them meaningful responsibilities, organizational coach Diane Foster says. “Who wants to be in a company where you are not allowed to think?”

“Frontline workers often are best suited to identify problems and suggest creative solutions, says Ira Bryck, director of University of Massachusetts’s Family Business Center in Hadley, Mass. But when conditioned to rely on a heavy-handed manager for guidance, employees become complacent, he says.

Managers should give employees goals and leave them to work out the details, Mr. Bryck says. They should resist the temptation to take control when subordinates make minor mistakes.”

The article also gives these tips for micromanagers who need to learn new habits:

Sources: Debra Nunes, executive leadership global practice head, Hay Group; Diane Foster, president, Diane Foster & Associates

For more reading, check out my latest post on dealing with the “unretired” here.

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