5 Reasons Why Micromanaging is a Bad Leadership Strategy

Why is micromanaging not a good idea?

Have you ever worked for a micromanager? I have, and it’s frustrating. In fact, it usually makes the job harder and less rewarding.

Simply put, micromanaging is a bad leadership strategy, and there are several reasons why:

1. Hovering. Micromanagers constantly monitor the workers they supervise. Being constantly observed and evaluated can cause worker stress. It can slow down the work process, as employees constantly fear that they will make a mistake and incur the dissatisfaction (or wrath) of the manager. From the leader’s perspective, micromanaging is a strategy of vigilance — policing workers to look for, and correct, behavior that deviates from the “accepted procedures.” This means the leader spends all of his or her time observing and correcting and has no time for other important leadership/management duties.

2. Decreasing Autonomy. A primary motivator for many workers is autonomy — being allowed to choose how and when to perform tasks, and having some decision-making authority about your job. Micromanaging quashes this and de-motivates workers.

3. Stifling Creativity. Without allowing workers to develop their own ideas and work-related strategies because of the need to control everything, the micromanager is destined to stifle worker creativity and innovation. This hurts the organization’s ability to innovate and evolve.

4. Stifling Employee Growth. The only way for workers to learn and develop in their jobs and increase their skill sets is to try new things, and learn on their own. Micromanaging keeps workers from becoming more skilled and valuable to the organization.

5. Increasing Turnover. Most workers are turned off by micromanagers. The independent, creative, self-motivated employees are the first to go, and losing those star performers can be devastating to the organization’s success.

For Development: Do some self-reflection. How often do you try to micromanage? Why do you do it? There are obviously instances where employees need more attention, but try to avoid over-doing it. If you have a habit of falling into micromanaging, try to back off a bit and observe how the team members react to it. See if you can gain some insights.