In an interview, Steve Jobs once said, "It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
The sad part of contemporary companies is that managers try to micromanage employees rather than allowing them to utilize their talent. The results of a survey conducted by LinkedIn in 2021 revealed that 79% of its existing users had worked atleast once in their lifetime with a micromanager. Furthermore, 55% of these survey participants felt it reduced their productivity, whereas 68% reported declining job motivation.
If you are working in a corporate organization and wondering whether you are experiencing micromanagement, here are a few pointers to identify micromanagement-
Extreme focus on knowing everything
Micromanagers are obsessed with being the centre of attention. So, they focus extensively on knowing everything happening within the workplace. Now, the sad part is that this quest to know everything is not just limited to the work progress but extends even to what the employees are talking about, their thoughts, and everything. This results from the micromanagers' distrust of the abilities, talent, and expertise of the employees.
Fear of losing control
One of the worst nightmares of micromanagers is that they will lose their power, control, and authority within the workplace. Hence, there is a minimum amount of task delegation to the employees and a lack of focus on the career development and empowerment of the employees. This is primarily due to the fear of the micromanagers that if the employees grow exponentially, they might even supersede them. This desire to hold onto power induces them to call frequent meetings, conferences, and sessions with their subordinates.
Pride in own knowledge
Micromanagers hold an extremely high regard for their knowledge and experiences, which often makes them entirely undermine the knowledge and expertise of their subordinates. In extreme situations, this pride can even reach the extent that the micromanagers can completely disregard the subordinates' ideas, suggestions, knowledge, capabilities, and expertise.
Demand for continuous hustle
Micromanagers thrive by creating differences or rifts between their subordinates. Thus, the idea of subordinates spending time together or talking with each other infuriates them. This is mainly due to the fear that subordinates might see through the web of lies spread by the micromanagers and, thereby, impede their success. Hence, micromanagers encourage subordinates to indulge in continuous hustle or struggle.
While negatively impacting your work performance, micromanagement can also seriously impact your mental health and well-being. So, if you notice any of these signs within your workplace, then it's time to take a call.
