Consequences of a Micromanager

How many of us have worked for a micromanager? How many of us have worked for a leader that has the mentality of, “They can’t do it right so I’ll just do it myself!” This sort of leadership is all too common and one of my core wishes is to help coach, teach, and counsel these types that there is a better way to everyday life in the workplace. These types of leaders absolutely suck the life and breath out of great team members every single day and really don’t know they are doing that. As a result, there is this negative downward cycle of them continually thinking they have to manage their people’s every move each day to keep them productive, and the person on the receiving end has this non-stop feeling of “they don’t trust me to take responsibility to get things done” and they perform at lower levels. The cycle of distrust, leader doesn’t trust, employee feels it, performs less, and the employee then doesn’t trust the leader. And the cycle of distrust breeds hard feelings and even hate between both parties.

I have been in organizations that have this issue, consulted organizations that have this issue, and observed it in other organizations. And it is a very frustrating issue for all those involved, and for me personally, very frustrating in dealing with these personality types. In handling it, we must “dig deeper” to help solve the issue, as it always begins with the leader. It often involves deeper issues such as insecurity, distrust based on their experiences or previous leadership they were under, inability to effectively communicate, and lastly a lack of truly wanting the best for everyone around them each and every day and helping their people grow into thoroughbreds.

If you find you are a micromanager, we ask that you think about these deeper issues. We also remind leaders to recognize they may be part of the problem, and the best part is they are also the solution. I often here this type of leader routinely complain about their people and their abilities to get the job done, these people being the same people these leaders hired or were a part of hiring. We must remember if trust is not given trust will not be received. It is unkind to be unclear. We owe our people clarity. If we want people to perform and be thoroughbreds, we must extend responsibility, give them the right tools, communicate expectations clearly, give them all the help they need, and care deeply for them and their success. Give them boundaries, and give them the reins, and get the hell out of their way! If they succeed, you will succeed!! And if you don’t let your thoroughbreds run like they want to, success will be marginalized, and the thoroughbreds will leave your stable and find another stable where they can run like they want to.

And the exact same principles apply with our kids each day! And kids in our family business! Think about that one for a bit! Cheers amigos! Happy Leadership Thursday! #KeepAtIt#LeadershipThursday #PassionForPeople#ChangingLives