Almost universally loathed by employees, and almost universally embraced by managers as a tool that is sometimes required, micromanagement is around us all the time. 

A synopsis of the dictionaries’ definition of micromanage is “to manage with great or excessive control or attention to small details”. In that definition, I see ‘great’ leaning toward OK and ‘excessive’…. well that would seem to be too much. And when is a detail ‘small’?

I have always managed employees and managers with a varying style. I had the pleasure of one senior product manager who was so effective and had such a great sense of business priority that we only talked about what he was up to once a quarter. One engineering director that was equally competent liked to talk every day. I was a sounding board – but usually that was just talk with little directing from me.

At the other end of the scale almost every poor performer who has worked for me would tell you that I was a micromanager. And to them I was. When someone is on a performance improvement plan or short-term objectives, or just not cutting it, I would be in their face as often as was required to get the work done.

The trick as a project leader is to understand where the line is between ‘too much’ and ‘not enough’. It is not only dependant on the person and their performance, but also on the criticality of the project.

A big challenge of acting as a micromanager is to be correct in what you direct. One manager I inherited went to every one of the 70 people in his team and gave them their marching orders every day. Unfortunately, it was impossible for him to actually know what was right for every person in the group. He lost control.

So what is the limit? When does a project manager or team leader cross over the line and impose too much on their team?

I propose that micromanagement should be the exception. The time and personal energy required for a leader to micromanage detracts from their ability to lead – making it impossible for them to be strategic and drive their team to a better future. This may be OK when working with a chaotic and underperforming individual or team, but this is not a sustainable leadership model.

While sometimes there are mitigating circumstances, inevitably the team members who require constant micromanagement need to find a different job and it is the leader’s responsibility to help them.

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