Quandary Mat: Who’s Afraid of Micromanagement?

Dear Hunter, 

I am a relatively new supervisor (one year). I supervise three people. One of my team members (Amy, not her real name) has told me that I have a micromanagement problem. She said it feels like I don’t trust her to do her work, or that I think she’s not smart enough. She says it’s like I’m always looking over her shoulder, and I ask too many questions.

I was surprised to hear this. And it hurt my feelings. I don’t want to be a micromanager! I want to do everything I can to be clear with expectations and make sure she can succeed.

She was given to me to manage just three months ago, so she is still learning about her work responsibilities. Maybe her last manager didn’t pay her much attention at all?  

Please help.

Thanks, 

Say It Ain’t So Sue

Dear Hunter, 

I’m so stressed out. My boss wants me to fire one of my team members. I understand the thinking. My team member is not meeting expectations, and we (me, with my boss’s coaching) have given him lots of opportunities to do better. 

But I’m not ready to give up. It feels like I have failed. And I don’t want to do the actual firing! It’s making me so anxious just thinking about that. I have never had to fire someone before. 

Should I just do it and get it over with, or is there something else I can try to give him one last chance to meet expectations? 

Thanks, 

Last-Ditch Lanie

Dear Sue and Lanie,

I wonder if you can imagine why I am responding to your distinct challenges together. 

Here’s what I think connects you two: 

You each want the ideal distance from the work of your supervisee. Sue wants to move back as much as possible so she’s not accused of being a micromanager. Lanie is wondering if she can move closer to her supervisee to give him extra help so he has the best opportunity to keep his job.

That’s a simple way to think about micromanagement: Proximity. Like Amy said to Sue, micromanagement feels like someone looking over your shoulder all the time. Constant input, mandating that the details be handled in one specific way. 

But here’s the thing: What is micromanagement in one situation, where the supervisor or person with power is too close, might be the exact correct shoulder-looking-over proximity for someone who is new to the work, or needs to perform better (like Lanie’s team member).

In addition to thinking about the right proximity, it helps to think about your goal in supervising someone. As I have written about before, Ownership is the goal of humble leaders who want to get out of their team's way and allow them to be smart, creative, and independent. Ownership is something an employee has to take for themselves. Leaders can create the conditions for it by providing Clarity, Resources, Security, and Freedom. 

Constant micromanagement prevents Ownership, but sometimes a short period of "intensive coaching" is exactly what is needed to help someone level up.

Let's look at your two situations through this lens of proximity and Ownership:

For Sue: Amy is telling you she feels stifled. If she is capable and knows the expectations, your close proximity is not appropriate right now. You are stepping on her Freedom, and It may feel to her like your way is the only way. It is time to back up. 

If you are still anxious about her taking full Ownership, you can step back a bit by asking her to monitor and report on her own work. She can be her own micromanager, in a sense, so that you don't have to monitor her directly. Ask her to report her weekly productivity metrics or assess her deliverables against a list of requirements. This provides the Accountability you need (and gives you some time and brain space back), while granting her the space to thrive.

For Lanie: Your supervisee is struggling to meet expectations, so giving him more Freedom won't help. So micromanagement, aka "intensive coaching," is appropriate if you want to give him a chance to do better. 

Try stepping in close for an explicit, temporary period. (As long as your own supervisor is okay with this additional opportunity.) You can say to him, “I am going to micromanage you so that you will succeed this first time. Then I will back away and leave you to manage this on your own, and you can turn to me when you need my input”. 

Clarify his Responsibilities, coach him closely, and hold him Accountable. Extended micromanagement doesn't work for anyone, so keep to a specific timeframe. If he levels up, he earns his Ownership. If he doesn't, you will know you provided every resource possible before having to make that tough final call.

I hope this helps you each handle your respective leadership challenges with confidence. 

Best of luck, 

Hunter