You've Got This - A Guide to Not Micromanaging

Chief Communicator

Apr 25, 2022

2 min read

Updated: 5 hours ago

No one likes to be micromanaged. Period. If you hire the best, then you should trust that you will get the best out of them.

Recently, I had a meeting with a colleague who insisted that she was not a micromanager and yet every example she gave about what her team was doing (or not doing) implied otherwise. No one is going to do things exactly the way that you do them and that is ok.

It's hard to be a good leader when you micromanage. Delegating and letting go of some of the control is part of being a good leader, even when it's difficult. Constantly stressing about every task, regardless of its size, is not sustainable for you or your team and can lead to burnout or serious health problems.

This blog post was inspired by a recent Harvard Business Review article by Rebecca Knight and her perspective on the subject; and it got me thinking about the impact micromanaging can have on corporate communications teams. Here are some do's and don'ts.

Do:

Ask yourself why you micromanage and reflect on your need for control
Refine your 'to do' list by prioritizing the tasks and projects that matter most to you
Talk to your team about how you’d like to be kept apprised of their progress
Ask yourself: if whatever I delegated fails, is it really the end of the world or is it fixable? Calculated risks are important

Don’t:

Go back on your word. If you tell your reports you trust them, then get out of the way and let them do their job
Overreact when things don’t go exactly as you’d like them (see above bullets!). Just take a breath and figure out a way to teach, support and correct the situation
Become a hands-off boss. You need to know when to jump in and help and when to support. It's a delicate balance, but you've got this!

At the end of the day, you hired your team because you thought they were the best at what they do. If that's truly the case, then let them shine.

Their success doesn't take away from your success. Think about that.

Failing is part of growing and your reports shouldn't be afraid to come to you and be honest about the challenges they have. They may fall on their face the first few times, but that's what gives you the opportunity to teach them and lead them.

And it will cause you less stress knowing that your building a team that respects, values and trusts you. But, if you don't give them the opportunity to take a few things off your plate, you're doing yourself and your team a disservice.

You focus on the big stuff and let them (or us!) handle the small stuff.

Until next time,