We recently surveyed our Founder and Force Multiplier community, and one of the most common concerns from both leaders and their force multipliers was how to get leaders to give up more control and stop micromanaging. A lot of Chiefs of Staff and Executive Assistants are looking to flourish more in their role and help their leaders break free of having to manage every decision. At the same time, leaders themselves know that they should give up more control, but don’t know how to let go. Hallie and I break down what causes leaders to micromanage and how to recognize if you are micromanaging as well. We also shed some light on the cost of micromanaging and why culture is so important to create a space for people to flourish and take chances that can improve effectiveness, happiness, and overall productivity.
Subscribe to Business Meets Spirituality:
Want to be notified when each episode drops? Subscribe to The 200% Life for podcast updates, as well as a sneak peek into what Adam is thinking about this week.
Join Our Free Conscious Coaching Community
References and resources from this week’s episode:
Help us help you by taking our Founder & Force Multiplier Survey!
Are Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff the Ultimate Intrapreneurs?
Are You an Accidental Diminisher?
Timestamps
[6:23] What are some of the reasons people micromanage?
- They feel way more connected with lower-level workers.
- They feel more comfortable doing their old job.
- Fear.
[15:42] It is common for founders to get to a spot where they camp out and try to give up control, and they make a hire, transition in that hire, and then it feels like it goes backward. It may go backward, and sometimes you have to take a step back to recalibrate, rebuild, and go forward.
[16:21] Every organization has to realize that they have to let go of something they’re focused on to focus on something else.
[20:39] You may have the wrong person in a position, and they may fail, and you may have to step back in. And guess what? Pain plus reflection equals progress.
[23:53] What are some traits of a micromanager?
- Not seeing the woods for the trees. So having the tendency to get bogged down in the details and the minutiae, rather than looking at the big picture.
- Every task needs approval, and the leader believes that they’re the only one capable of effective decision making.
- Needing to be Cc’ed on every email.
- Obsession with constant updates.
- Overcomplicating instructions.
- Believing no one else is capable.
- Having a hard time delegating.
[28:47] We talk about the Jeff Bezos principle, which is to know if the decision is a “two-door” decision, which is one you can come back from and therefore delegate, or a “one-door” decision, which you can’t come back from and may want to make that final decision yourself.
[33:20] There is a time and place when micromanagement is acceptable. For example, if you’re starting a new business, launching a new product, or making a new hire, you will want to be very hands-on in the beginning. But over time, you will need to let go, more and more.
[36:19] Culture is important for many reasons. It helps us be open to changing how we see the world and opens up space for being able to have the tough conversations about micromanaging and find a better way.
