How to give more independence to your employees? 5 steps to change micromanagement

Micromanagement results in a decrease in employee productivity and motivation, and a loss of faith in the company. In a recent webinar on micromanagement, Smartful trainer Kristjan Kaskman highlighted 5 steps on how to reduce micromanagement and give employees more independence as a manager.

Delegate.

A manager is not hired to do a job, but to organise it. See which tasks could be done by your employees, so team members can be more independent. Rather than constantly checking on what your employees are doing, try having periodic one-on-one sessions, so you can get an overview of the current situation and support employees as needed.

Identify team members’ expectations.

What does the team expect from the manager? What do members expect from each other? Knowing what team members expect from the manager makes it easier to communicate and organise work. It is also important to understand and communicate your expectations to your employees so that there are no misunderstandings.

Avoid perfectionism.

Understand that it is not always possible to achieve perfection. Mistakes are a part of every process. Set realistic goals and take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes.

Ask for feedback.

Asking for feedback from your team is not an excuse to criticise your management. Gathering feedback is essential for the continuous development of the team and its members.

Hire the right people.

Easy to say, tough to do. A team leader may be a specialist in their field, but that doesn’t make them a good leader. If you have managers who are total micromanagers and are unwilling to change the way they are managing, you should consider whether there is a role in the organisation that would suit them better.

There is no such thing as a good or bad management style. However, it is important to choose the right management style for the situation. As a micromanaging leader, you are constantly checking on what the employee is working on and demanding a report. By doing so, you show a lack of trust in your team members. This limits the employee’s creativity and initiative, resulting in no room for new solutions and innovation in the team. By shifting your mindset, delegating and setting expectations for each other, you can break the micromanaging patterns in your team and move towards a more effective and happier team.