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January 15, 2025

MICROMANAGING OR SUPERVISING 

As a leadership consultant I am often asked about how to stop supervisors from “micromanaging.”  When this happens my initial response is, “Tell me what you mean by ‘micromanaging?’”  And frequently the response is something like, “The boss is always checking up on us and making sure we’ve done our jobs.”

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I then ask a few simple questions:

  1. Is the boss telling you exactly how to do every step or, is the boss just asking what was done and maybe how things came out?

  2. Is the boss standing there watching and making sure you do it exactly how they would do it, or, is the boss asking about the results, and/or how it got done if they weren’t there?

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  • Evaluating Question #1.  If the boss telling you exactly how to do every step, then it is more likely you are being micromanaged, however, if the boss is just asking what was done and maybe how things came out, then it is supervision, and what they should be doing.

  • Evaluating Question #2.  If the boss is there watching and making sure you do it exactly how he or she would do it, then it’s more towards micromanaging.  However, if the boss is asking about the results, and/or how it got done if they weren’t there, then they are supervising.

  • Micromanaging by its very name implies that there is little leadership happening, but it is also frequently misperceived by people when supervisors are just doing exactly what the organization wants them to do.

  • REMEMBER:  There is a difference between managing and leading… You manage things, you lead people!

KEY FACTOR:  Definitions According to Dictionary.com:

  • Micromanage:  to manage or control with excessive attention to minor details.

  • Supervise:  to oversee (a process, work, workers, etc.) during execution or performance; have the oversight and direction of.

Important Factor

A supervisor must be able to ensure work tasks are being completed, and frequently to do this they have to; ask questions, look at work product, see data, check times, count results, see performance, and many other ways to ensure the organization is meeting its goals.  If supervisors can’t do that, then how are they to know if the goals are being met, and that the employees are following proper laws, policies, procedures, etc.?  Likewise, how would a supervisor be able to evaluate your performance without ever seeing your work?

“TRUST, BUT VERIFY.”  This is the CMF Leadership mantra when it comes to supervision.  Supervisors need to trust their employees, as much as the employees need to be able to trust the supervisor.  However, the supervisor’s job is to verify that the tasks are being completed, and completed within organizational expectations.  This means that employees could/should be asked questions, may be monitored or watched to ensure proper compliance (without telling the employee every step or controlling with excessive attention to minor details, otherwise it may be micromanaging), especially when their actions are critical and may bring liability to the organization.   It also means that the supervisor is doing their job of supervising instead of just blindly trusting that “everything is being done right.”  A supervisor’s job is no longer about being technically proficient and just doing the tasks, it is now about verifying that the organization’s goals are being met through task completion.  It’s not a trust issue, it’s a task issue.

 

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER…

  • As a trainer, lead, supervisor, manager, or whatever leadership role you are in, you need to be aware that the term “micromanage” is misused frequently to mean someone who is actually supervising. 

  • Also, it is sometimes used to “scare off” supervisors who are doing their job (especially new supervisors) because supervisors don't want to be accused of being a "micromanager." 

  • You also need to understand that it is demotivating to employees to be told how to do things when they already know how to do them.  Try telling them what results you want and let them surprise you with how they get there.

CATCH YOUR PEOPLE IN THE ACT…of doing things right!! 

  • If you trust your people while you continue to supervise and verify the tasks are getting done, you will most probably find that most of the time your people are doing things right.  If they aren’t then it is your opportunity to teach them and help them learn the correct way.  But if they are doing things right…thank them, or acknowledge them for doing a good job that meets the expectations of the organization and move on. This will reinforce that they are doing what you want and the their behavior will show the congruence between the stated trust and your actions.

Quotes to Put into Practice…

  • “The manager accepts the status quo, the leader challenges it.” – Warren Bennis

  • “A manager is not a person who can do the work better than his men; he is a person who can get his men to do the work better than he can.”  - Frederick W. Smith

© 2016 CMF Leadership Consulting

CMF Leadership Consulting
CMF Leadership Consulting
Modesto, CA, USA
(209) 652-3235
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