On our newsletter, we touched on micromanagement and its deep ties to the birth of Sensate. In this blog, we take you through the complexities of micromanagement so you can identify and navigate your situation accordingly.

Micromanagement often creeps into leadership styles without managers realizing it. While it may stem from a desire to ensure success, these tendencies can stifle productivity, creativity, and team morale. This article explores the common habits of micromanagers, the underlying reasons behind these behaviors, and their impact on both employees and organizational success. It also provides practical strategies for breaking free from the micromanagement cycle—whether you're the manager or the one being managed. By identifying and addressing these tendencies, leaders and managers can help create a healthy professional environment where everyone thrives.
Habits that scream “Micromanager!”
Some managers can give into micromanaging tendencies without realising they’re doing so. Take this section of the newsletter as an opportunity to step back and analyse the habitual behaviors that you portray around your team.
Minimal task delegation
According to two psychological studies, micromanagement tendencies stem from personal anxiety, insecurity and general discomfort of being in the role. Individuals with these personality traits are far less willing to delegate tasks across their department.
In some cases, anxiety relating to their lack of control on a project can also affect their thought process in delegating tasks productively. This results in most projects and tasks remaining on their calendars and tasks lists.
On the other hand, individuals who feel secure are better leaders as they don’t feel intimidated by somebody else’s achievements, this results in their department performing at a good efficiency.
No effective communication
Another common trait that micromanagers tend to have is, difficulty communicating. This can be evident in their delegation strategies and email etiquette, the lack of effective communication directly results in a task being worked on without thorough instructions, direction and aim.
Furthermore, while the task is worked on, there may be scheduled calls to approve and update the manager on each step of progress made. This can cause bottlenecks as these approvals come at the cost of rigorously micro-scoping the progress to the point of having to re-do the same step.
Because of this, the feedback is also not constructive. Most times, the task can be reassigned to the micromanagers “trusted” (sometimes, overworked) employee, or they take it upon themselves.
The false belief that nobody is capable
Employees are usually promoted to managerial roles because they have excelled in their responsibilities and are capable of seniority. This can lead micromanagers to believe that they have been given the role because they are expected to be managing a team less capable than they are.
This false belief leads them to meddle in tasks and set up numerous approval processes and limit their team from moving forward without their green light.
Here’s how micromanagement is counterproductive

Decreased Productivity
When a team feels micromanaged, they hesitate to move forward without the approval of the manager, causing chaos and bottlenecks within the department. This creates an environment where nobody feels encouraged to take initiative and pitch improvements.
Limits creativity and innovation
Constantly micromanaging employees limits them from thinking outside the box, which will make them less likely to explore and develop new ideas, this makes them less likely to propose improvements to existing processes.
Lowers employee morale
Under micromanagement, employees can become stressed and disengaged because there is a lack of ideation since the manager will do the creative execution. And when morale drops, so does the performance.
Breaking the micromanagement cycle

If you’ve made it to this section and have realised that you may be micromanaging your team, don’t worry, there’s still an opportunity to turn things around. To break the micromanagement cycle, it’s important to let go if your personal belief about your own capabilities and that they are not the inherent lack of your team.
Invest in upskilling employees
Trust plays a major role in ensuring your employees don't feel micromanaged. A great way to show your trust and appreciation for your employees is to invest in upskilling them, this is done by enrolling them into educational courses to help them expand in their current roles. This shows your employees that you care about their career trajectory and trust them to advance and take on increased responsibilities.
Encourage open communication
This is a major one. A great way to gain your employees' trust is to encourage open communication. Become a better listener so that the people working within your department should feel properly comfortable communicating their professional roadblocks. It’s also worth learning the difference between guidance and solutions, read the room and advise accordingly.
Set realistic goals and communicate expectations
Clear, achievable goals can be a game-changer. When everyone knows what’s expected, it’s easier to stay on track. Plus, it’s a great way to build trust and accountability.
At the end of the day, stepping back and letting your team shine isn’t just better for them—it’s better for you, too. When you let go of micromanaging tendencies, you’ll find that your team becomes more productive, creative, and engaged. And honestly, isn’t that what every leader wants?
Managing your micromanager
If the previous sections of this blog have made you realise that you may be working under a micromanager, here’s a simple 2-step plan for you to turn your situation around!
Build Trust
Micromanagers often require reassurance that they made the right hiring decision. To earn their trust, it’s essential to initially align with their preferred methods and expectations.
This may involve proactively providing status updates, scheduling regular check-ins, and maintaining open communication about your workload. Additionally, sharing evidence of your progress—such as presenting your work at various stages—can help demonstrate your competence. The objective is to reassure your manager that you are effectively managing your responsibilities, ideally before they feel the need to monitor or intervene.
Offer Constructive Feedback
Once trust has been established, you may find yourself accustomed to the established working dynamic. However, if you value greater autonomy, this is an ideal opportunity to discuss a shift toward more independent work.
Clearly articulate your preference for working with less oversight and support your case with evidence. For example, highlight how you excel when given the freedom to manage projects without frequent interruptions.
One effective approach is to under-promise and over-deliver. Commit to completing a portion of a project within a specified timeframe and then deliver the entire project ahead of schedule. This not only reinforces your ability to work independently but also reduces the likelihood of further micromanagement.
We recognize that these steps can be implemented if you have a manager that can be influenced to be open to change, however if you have an extreme micromanager that struggles to listen, we recommend raising it to your HR department or seeking employment elsewhere.
Article written by Mehak Shoaib, in collaboration with Ben Safra.
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