Should You Be a Micromanager?

The micromanager. Nearly everyone knows what the word means. It’s someone who cannot delegate any responsibility. Someone who has to give directions on every detail of a project, someone who pretty much makes all of the decisions.

The micromanager is a person who needs to be in control at all times, someone who believes his or her own ideas are the only important ones. The micromanager has his or her fingers in every pie, preventing employees from doing their jobs.

Most business experts will tell you it is the worst management approach possible, resulting in a range of negative consequences.

It limits employees own professional development.

Since the micromanager takes over all of the important tasks, employees never get the chance to exercise their professional judgment and expertise. They get little chance to learn and grow because they are never challenged.

It prevents the manager himself from being considered for promotion.

One of the essential skills of management is learning how to delegate. Since this is obviously a skill the micromanager is lacking, he or she is holding himself or herself back from being promoted.

Micromanagement, simply put, is bad management. It prevents the work from being done as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Having explained why micromanagement is so bad, is there any time when it might actually be the best management technique to use? Some management experts believe there are four situations where a supervisor might want to temporarily do a little micromanaging.

• When there is a big change in company strategy or direction, or when the company is rolling out a new product, management may need to become more hands-on during the transition period because everyone is working in uncharted territory.
• When a new person comes on board. If you need to get a newbie up to speed, some micromanaging may be called for.
• When there are problems. Micromanaging may be called for when things just aren’t getting done, when deadlines are missed, when the quality of work is not up to par.
• Micromanagement may also be needed when a customer is complaining loudly. The manager may need to immerse himself in the details of the operation in order to rectify the problem.

However, it is important to remember that the micromanagement is only for a defined period of time, until the situation is resolved. It should never be standard operating procedure.

When looking for insurance professionals and/or administrative help for your insurance agency or department, call the recruiters at Insurance Relief™ to help you find them. We look forward to hearing from you.