Micromanagement is much more than a failure to delegate work. In the office, micromanagement has become synonymous with obsessive control and poor management practices. At a personal level, it is a symptom of a narrow-minded, over-critical, self-sabotaging perfectionist. On any level though, micromanagement can quickly become a source of anxiety and frustration in your life.

The Destructive Micromanager

An environment of micromanagement negatively affects the way the micromanager perceives his successes as well as his team mates. Sean Silverthorne observes in his BNET blog how such an environment ends up overstating mistakes and downplaying advancements. What this ultimately results in, as Scott Robinson at Tech Republic reports, is damaged and strained relationships, simply because the micromanager suffocates himself and those around him with tightly controlled and often unrealistic standards.

Overcoming the Micromanaging Impulses

The micromanager can find his remedy by keeping the big picture in perspective even when working on the menial tasks, says Steven DeMaio at his Harvard Business Review blog. DeMaio also advocates delegating the smaller decisions to team mates and avoiding self-correcting while in the middle of the project. This allows us to experience the full arc of the endeavour. Similarly, in Divine Caroline, Jay White points out that failure can be used as a learning experience when it happens. Silverthorne encourages changing one’s perspective on the work being done by choosing to see the potential value of the work, instead of leaping into critique mode.

Positive Forms of Micromanagement

However, not all forms of micromanagement are destructive. In fact, there is a place for microwork, say DeMaio and Silverthorne. Microwork – a term coined for the tinier but still significant aspects of work – is welcome when it results in delivering value and improving quality. The key difference separating meaningless micromanagement and useful microwork can be found in the level of patience in completing the work: The former is usually done in haphazard impatience, and the latter is performed patiently, with careful attention to detail.

How do you overcome your personal inner micromanager? Share your thoughts with us.

If you enjoyed the article "Beware the Inner Micromanager " - why don't you read more about the Whakate Way.