What does it mean to act “like a boss” in your opinion? Does it mean managing your employees every move or empowering them to find their own way? Does it mean setting a process you expect everyone follow implicitly or working with your team to find a system that works for everyone?
Honestly, no one wants to admit to micromanaging employees’ performance. Yet you may have micromanagement tendencies if you recognize any of the following behaviors:
- Avoiding delegation. You don’t feel anyone can do a project as well as you, so you “just” do it yourself. Or when you do delegate, you take back tasks frequently because you are not satisfied with others’ efforts.
- Immersing yourself in the particulars of employees’ projects. You expect (demand) constant updates.
- Focusing on tiny details instead of viewing the big picture. You often get caught up in how work should be executed (in your opinion) rather than the finished project.
- Discouraging others from making decisions without consulting you first. You want approval on every decision, no matter how small, and even when issues are time sensitive.
If you recognize yourself in any of those descriptions, act to correct your behavior. Suggestion: The best way to build healthier relationships with employees is to talk to them. Let them know that you want to change your way of working, and ask for frank feedback. State your desire to change.
Then loosen the reins by starting to give employees leeway—and encouragement—to succeed on their own. Identify employees whom you can trust to work more independently of you, and begin to delegate to them. Agree upfront on when and how you will check on progress and evaluate results. Then turn them loose and focus on your own assignments.
It won’t take long for you to discover how much more you can accomplish when you put a little trust in your employees, stop micromanaging and focus on your own to-do list.
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