As the boss, you’re under a tremendous amount of pressure to produce outstanding results that make for a healthy bottom line, so your hands-on management approach is understandable. However, there’s a fine line between being involved and being a micromanager — and crossing into the latter territory helps no one.
If you must have a say in every task completed by your employees and are deeply involved in all team happenings, there’s a good chance you’re a micromanager. Instead of giving your talented employees an assignment and letting them run with it, you have to dictate every last detail. Your intentions are in the right place, but before long, this behavior will cause your best employees to leave and your stress levels to rise to a level you didn’t even know was possible, so it’s time to end your micromanaging ways for good.
Use these 5 Tips to Stop Micromanaging
Admit You’re a Micromanager
The first step to ditching your micromanaging habit is admitting the problem exists. If you’re able to do this, you’re on the right path to change.
Stop Hovering
Letting go of control is hard, but you have to do it. If you normally drop by your employees’ desks five times a day to check-in, gradually reduce that number until you’re only asking for updates when truly necessary.
Delegate Some of Your Responsibilities
Choose a few tasks on your plate that really don’t need to be completed by you and hand them off to appropriate members of your team. This may be the hardest step in your path to overcoming your micromanaging ways, but once you master it you’ll feel great and have more time in your day.
Allow Your Team to Make Decisions
Resist the urge to chime in and be “helpful” at every opportunity, and allow your employees to think for themselves instead. You might be pleasantly surprised at what can happen when your team is empowered to do things their own way.
Hire Better Employees
If part of the reason you’re nervous to leave your staff to their own devices is because you don’t think they’re up to the challenge, it’s time to make changes to your hiring process. You shouldn’t be hiring employees who aren’t capable of doing their jobs independently, so find a solution to this problem now before adding any additional staffers.
Whether you’re searching for extra staff to keep up with a seasonal rush or need a little help finding the best fit for your team, HTSS, Inc. is here to assist. Our team offers temporary, temp-to-hire and HR management options throughout the Lehigh Valley — and professional search nationwide. Contact us today to get started!