Whenever I talk with employees about the qualities of a bad manager, one item inevitably comes up - micromanagement. Employees do not like being micromanaged. Now that I think about it, I've never heard anyone say they like being micromanaged.
But whenever I'm trying to coach someone who has been labeled a micromanager, their response is "Me? I'm not a micromanager. I'm just being hands-on. That's good, right?"
It's true. Being a hands-on manager is considered by most to be a good thing. My definition of a hands-on manager is someone who is willing to do the same work as their employees. Here's an example from my past:
Our human resources manager was responsible for new hire orientation. One day, she was being pulled into several directions and putting out fires. At the end of the day, when she would normally start setting up our training room for orientation, I could tell she was tired. So, I offered to help. She delegated to me the tasks that needed to be done, and I set up the room.
The key elements that made this situation hands-on:
1) I didn't take responsibility away from the human resources manager and,
2) I was willing to accept direction.
The difference between a hands-on manager and a micromanager
On the flip side, a micromanager is a person who gets too involved in the work possibly to the point of keeping the work from being completed. Let me share another example from my corporate days:
Years ago, I worked for a manager who asked us to shred all of our paper trash. On one hand, I get it - we're human resources and there's the possibility of sensitive info being on a piece of paper. However, one day I got called into his office and reprimanded because I was shredding paper in the wrong direction. It appears that after everyone left, he would go through our trash and try to piece the shredded documents back together.
Where this situation leans toward micromanagement is when my boss started spending his evenings piecing together shredded papers. If there was a concern, there are other ways to address it (like crosscut shredders).
His actions were keeping the department focused on the wrong thing. Instead of the focus being on employee privacy and security, his actions shifted the focus to shredding.
The key difference between being a hands-on manager and a micromanager is trust . If we trust our team, then we're comfortable jumping into their process and helping out. In fact, we might learn a new and better way to doing things.
How to deal with a micromanager
Notice above I said "their process" - meaning the process the team developed. When we don't trust our team, we're only comfortable when we control the process. Hence, being a micromanager.
This is an important distinction to understand, especially if you're trying to confront micromanaging behavior. Essentially, you're asking someone to give up control and that's not always an easy thing for someone to do.
When dealing with a micromanager, here are a couple things to remember:
1. Look for areas of consistency. Sometimes control and consistency are synonymous. Demonstrating that a situation or process will be handled in a consistent fashion can give a micromanager comfort.
2. Anticipate the next step. In my career, I found it helpful to share my next steps with micromanagers. It lets them know I'm thinking ahead, and I can be held responsible for the situation.
3. Build a relationship. It's tempting to avoid the micromanager. Ultimately, you'll want to address this issue with the person. But you can't do it until you have a relationship that allows for open feedback.
Working with a micromanager is a learning opportunity
Step back from the situation and look for ways to make progress. And if you've ever had someone accuse you of being a micromanager, before denying the label and saying it was "hands-on", stop and ask yourself, "Is it possible someone saw me in that light?"
The key to keeping micromanagement out of the workplace is setting expectations, trusting employees to do the work, and holding them accountable for results.
Your Turn: What tips do you have for being mindful of micromanaging employees or for dealing with a micromanager?
関連資料
製品やお客様事例、最新の業界のインサイトなどをご紹介しています。
電子書籍
新しい世界に向けた仕事の再構築：2024年のHRトレンド予測
貴社では、昨今の急激なビジネスの変化のスピードにどの程度対応できていますか？ 従業員を対象にした調査によると、41%が自分のスキルを伸ばすために必要なものを持っていないと考えており、59%がさらに多くのキャリアガイダンスを求めているという結果が出ています。そこでこれまで以上に重要になるのが、HR担当者が最新のトレンドを把握し、それが従業員や組織にとって何を意味するのかを理解して活用することです。例えばAIはトレンドの1つですが、60%以上の組織では、人財開発プログラムの最適化にAIテクノロジーを活用していません。
ブログ投稿
The 5 Employment Laws Every Manager Must Know
Employment law is complicated and can have big repercussions for your company if employees fail to adhere to it — either out of ignorance or neglect. A talent contractor for Comcast was just forced to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit over unpaid overtime — a violation of employment law. While you can't expect everyone at your company to be experts in the law (that's why you should have an attorney on retainer), your managers should be trained on the basics. Otherwise, you make your company susceptible to lawsuits.
ブログ投稿
10 ways to conduct one-on-one meetings with impact
One of the basic premises of being an effective leader is to have regular one-on-one meetings with your staff. Yet often, these meetings feel like torture to the employee, lacking forethought and focus. In such cases, leaders need to recognize that the value of these interactions extends beyond mere formality. To make these one-on-ones effective, leaders should prepare for each meeting, set clear agendas and actively listen to their employees' concerns and feedback.