When Should Leaders Micromanage?

After decades of developing leadership to include influence, rather than control, we've seen a return to micromanagement. Bosses will be bosses and sometimes that means doing their best to control every little action on the team.

It didn't work well in the past, and it doesn't work well now.

There are instances when leaders must exercise more control: introducing new team members, developing raw talent, handling an emergency. But, once that new team member has an understanding of the mission, once that raw talent is not so raw, once the emergency is over, centered leaders do well to return to an approach of shared leadership. Our influence is made greater by sharing it with others, not by lording over them with a tight grip and reckless insistence on details that match your style, but not theirs.

The art of leadership is recognizing and assessing one's own tendency to micromanage. Centered leaders let go of control to increase their influence.

Who have you been trying to micromanage?

What would happen if you let them lead for a while in some area?

What do you think about micromanagement?

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Learn more in the workshop: Supervising for Success

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