Loud Thinking January 30, 2015 at 02:31PM

The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

Are You Sure You’re Not a Micromanager?

If you’re like most micromanagers, you don’t even realize what you’re doing. Some signs should make it clear: You’re never satisfied with deliverables. You get frustrated when you would’ve done something differently. You laser in on details and take pride in making corrections. You want to be Cc’d on emails. But while you need to make sure work gets done, you don’t have to drill down on the details all the time. That only hurts your team’s morale and productivity. To stop micromanaging, start letting go of the minutiae. This can be hard, but the key is to do it a little at a time. Articulate what you want the final outcome to be, but don’t give step-by-step instructions on how someone should get there. Focus on setting people up for success. Provide resources and support, and give credit where it’s due.

Adapted from “Signs That You’re a Micromanager” by Muriel Maignan Wilkins.

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