Should You Stop Micromanaging Your Staff?

Employees across the world work in an ever-changing and evolving workplace. While leaders and managers should concentrate on enhancing their team's overall working environment, they should also remember to refresh their leadership approaches.

Micromanagement is often used in business organisation and workflow monitoring. But in recent years, particularly in the rapidly changing industries, we have noticed a minor shift in how leaders and organisations view a company's management.

Micromanagement: A thing of the past?

Micromanaging has become less prevalent in the business world.

The corporate environment is ever-changing with its ongoing upgrades, greater development of leadership styles, and new work approaches. It's only natural for employees in such a fast-paced work atmosphere to be more adaptable to change and proactive.

For example, developers in the IT business must always keep up with what's fresh in the programming world via reading, following trends, and learning the next new software. In a nutshell, professionals in any industry are just accustomed to studying, relying on trial-and-error, and working at their own pace since specific tasks are far too complicated to complete in a day or two.

Suppose a leader anticipates an increase in their company's income and overall workflow. In that case, they may want to consider supervising their teams in a way that does not interfere with the staff's work style and proactivity. It is the employees that lay the groundwork for any organisation's growth and success among customers, after all.

But let us take a more direct view of the situation. True, many workers want to keep their current workflow. So the question is, what challenges should a leader or management expect if they choose to micromanage a progressive company? What could go wrong? 

Giving up control can be a valuable asset at times. Here are 4 reasons why you should cease micromanaging your employees.

1. The leaders are riding the wave of transformational leadership.

The transformational leadership method has gained popularity, particularly among individuals working in startups, IT firms, and rapidly growing modern companies. Its foundation is based on implementing inspiration, fulfilment, and a general conviction that your work is worthwhile to you and the organisation. 

On the other hand, there are more similarities between the transactional management style and micromanagement. Hence, if a leader wants to encourage their employees to take on activities and issues independently, minimising micromanagement is a great place to start.

Any leader must be familiar with their staff to select the ideal management style for each of them separately. Sure, most employees would like more independence in workflow and workload distribution, but some people prefer to be micromanaged.

Most of the time, these junior employees lack confidence and experience. If their manager does not micromanage, they may perceive a lack of direction and support. A mentor must maintain a healthy balance of managing styles among all team members. 

2. Leaders are stopping staff's proactive efforts to improve.

Consider an employee who needs to have a specific vision and idea to complete a work or project in the best possible way. Thinking beyond the box and channelling inspiration regularly are essential aspects of a programmer's everyday work.

With too much micromanaging, the manager risks stifling employees' proactivity. If supervisors oversee every step of the project execution process, the employee is unlikely to understand the value of being proactive. 

They might begin to see duties as merely bothersome to-dos that would ultimately assess their entire work strategy. No leader would want that. Framing work as a nine-to-five chore is the simplest and quickest way to destroy proactivity and fulfilment.

3. Mentors run the danger of making the workplace toxic.

Excessive micromanaging, especially when mixed with an authoritative demeanour, can make employees dread coming to work the next day. A terrible workplace can force someone to quit their career permanently. 

The problem with today's job market is that it is so competitive. Any organisation would be delighted to hire excellent professionals. Would a leader choose to abandon theirs because they refuse to relinquish control?

4. Leaders might cause staff to question their professional abilities.

In terms of professionals, is it a brilliant idea for a manager to micromanage the team to the point where they are unsure of their abilities? 

Allowing someone to accomplish things on their own terms is often the best way to express acknowledgement and appreciation. Of course, this does not mean that managers should relinquish their responsibilities. It just means addressing the team with respect.

Leaders, however, should not be misled: the tips mentioned above do not stop them from monitoring the entire workflow. Mentors must distinguish between exercising control and providing support and assistance when necessary. The latter will undoubtedly help them grow as leaders, just as it will ensure that their employees grow as professionals.

Source: Entrepreneur