In over 40 years of working, I’ve never met anyone who said they like to be micromanaged.

What is micromanaging?

For me, micromanaging is not trusting your people to do the work.

It’s being critical instead of grateful.

Micromanagers blame others when things go wrong and they don’t take responsibility. “Why did you do that, when I told you to do this?”

Micromanagers are also passive aggressive. “If I’m not around, what are you going to do – nothing?”

Micromanagers confuse their people. “Why didn’t you let me check before you sent that out?” “Why don’t you think for yourself?”

Micromanagers cause their people to go into the primal state, causing them to feel anxious and fearful.

When you’re in the primal state, your only thoughts and bodily actions are those of survival.  If we want people to be creative and solve problems, we need to encourage them. We need them in the powerful state.

You have to trust your team to do the job.

That includes making sure you give good instructions and training. Empower your team to step up. Encourage them to succeed. Praise them when they do.

Normally a conscientious employee, I learned to become helpless and to submit inferior work when one of my bosses asked me to draft letters and marketing material on his behalf.  After drafting a couple, which I had poured my heart and soul into getting right, he took out the red pen and made comments all over them.  I learned that I was never going to make him happy. I learned that he would always “improve” what I had done, so I started to care less. I would quickly write something on paper, without giving it too much thought because I knew he would edit it anyway. It didn’t make me feel very good because I am an achiever. With that boss, I never felt like I could achieve.

If you’re a leader, manager, supervisor or colleague. Empower your team. Trust them to do the job. The more you trust them, the more they’ll give you. The more they give you, the more they’ll feel like they are achieving and in the powerful state. They’ll come up with even more solutions and ideas and they’ll love you and be loyal.

Nobody likes a micromanager. Trust your people to do the job.

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