A look at the concept, the
culprit and the consequences
Consider that your need to micromanage might be
stifling just the productivity—and creativity—you’ve hired your team to provide.
By Meg McKeen, CIC
We all know those people, the relationships we’re lucky to have, where months and even years can pass and you are able to pick up your conversation right where you left off.
I recently had a very overdue catch-up with one of those—an industry pal who’s made a job change since we last talked. She shared that even after careful vetting during the interview process, she was frustrated to discover her new boss is of the micromanaging kind.
More than qualified for her new role, and with a successful track record working independently to lead a team, when I asked her why she thought this was happening, her quick reply was “she doesn’t trust me.”
It’s true that she and her boss are just getting to know one another, and it can take time and repetition to build trust. While a lack of trust in one another may be a factor, so could a lack of trust in self.
What does it look like to micromanage?
No doubt you’ve heard the adage “People don’t quit jobs; they quit bosses.” A primary reason? Even though compensated well and doing work they find meaningful, employees often feel micromanaged.
In the work I do, it’s common to hear sentiments like these:
- “I’m very mindful of my authority, always checking the guidelines when making underwriting decisions to make sure I don’t blow it. But it feels like my manager is always looking over my shoulder. It’s like he’s just waiting for me to make a mistake.”
- “I swear my manager has a spreadsheet to track his spreadsheets! Tracking and color-coding anything that can be measured, it makes me feel like I’m always behind and/or underperforming. I wonder sometimes if these metrics he’s tracking are even real.”
- “I’m so over her first-thing-in-the-morning or Friday afternoon “check-ins!” It’s like my boss isn’t checking in; she’s checking up on me to make sure I’m at my desk.”
If you winced reading any of these statements, you might be noticing you’re micromanaging, too.
It’s me; hi, I’m the problem; it’s me
If you asked a cross section of leaders if they identify as a micromanager, it’s likely few would agree. And if they did, they’d likely acknowledge that they’re also working to overcome it. “Micromanager” isn’t typically a compliment, after all.
Few actually set out to be a micromanager, but we build habits and behaviors over time that can reinforce these tendencies, and it’s important to understand their origin.
In many cases, the folks on the team you’re now managing are performing the tasks you used to do before you were promoted or hired to lead them. Therefore, you know how to perform in that job and you likely hold others to that same high standard. But it’s the leadership part of your role that may be brand new to you.
New, as so many of us know, can feel scary. If you find yourself saying “I’ll just do it myself,” you may be feeling the pull to accomplish what’s familiar, because that feels safe.
For those who both manage a team and also have a manager yourself, often it is the case that your own manager’s expectations and measurements of your success are unclear. It makes sense, then, that instead of having a potentially uncomfortable clarifying conversation, you focus your energy on those around you, grasping for a sense of control when indeed you have very little.
It’s also quite possible that when you had your own early experience with a manager, that person was a micromanager, too, or the culture around you supported this management style. If these habits and behaviors were modeled for you, you likely adopted them yourself, too, as that was the example of successful leadership you witnessed in that formative time.
Unintended consequences
Of course, it’s possible that the need for micromanaging is legitimate—that a higher level of oversight is required for a particular employee’s development or for the success of an important initiative. It’s also possible that your team members just need to work harder, put in more time, and be more efficient in order to achieve company objectives.
But I’d challenge you to consider that your need to micromanage might be stifling just the productivity—and creativity—you’ve hired your team to provide. It’s not more time, better tools, another spreadsheet, or more oversight that your team needs, but rather your belief in them—and in yourself.
It’s the belief that you’ve made wise hiring decisions, that often what’s called for is more space and not less, and that holding on tighter doesn’t guarantee you won’t fail.
The author
Meg McKeen, CIC, founded Adjunct Advisors LLC in 2018 with the simple belief that we can and must do more to support the individuals who choose a career in the insurance industry. Her experience working for more than two decades in underwriting, leadership, and sales within the industry fuels her work as a consultant today, in which Meg now holds space, at the crossroads of personal and professional development, for insurance professionals as they navigate the challenges of our shifting relationship with work and this current hard market. Meg’s work includes private and small group coaching, workshop facilitation, industry event speaking and planning engagements, and the podcast she hosts, Bound & DeterminedSM. Learn more at www.adjunctadvisors.com.
