Effective leaders trust and empower their employees. While keeping up with every detail of an employee’s work may seem beneficial in making this happen, it can actually backfire and have the opposite effect.

As noted by renowned management consultant Peter Drucker, “An effective president (or other leader) has to say no to the temptation to micromanage, but make sure operations are taken care of.”

Here are five reasons to resist micromanagement in yourself and other managers. All these factors are interrelated – and none are good for your business.

Micromanagement:

  1. Hurts morale.

As a result of micromanagement, employees feel their ideas are invalid and live in constant fear of criticism. Eventually, this takes a toll on their morale. Micromanagement is no way to build a healthy culture.

  1. Destroys innovation.

Employees each possess their own unique creative skills and talents which, combined with those of others on their team, can produce great results. But micromanagement can kill creative spirit.

  • Having employees who feel free to showcase their creativity and demonstrate out-of-the-box thinking is critical to come up with new ideas. Micromanagement can bring any form of innovation to a halt, putting your company at a competitive disadvantage.

  1. Threatens productivity.

If your manager is constantly looking over your shoulder, it leads to a lot of second-guessing and ultimately, paranoia. Employees will start overthinking things and questioning their own moves. This becomes mentally taxing, making people far less likely to be productive.

  • A boss watching over employees can cause them to make more mistakes as they feel extra pressure to perform. In worst-case scenarios, safety, as well as productivity, is on the line.

  1. Stifles growth and development.

People need to learn how to do their jobs and work their way up the company ladder. If a manager is constantly interfering and not allowing employees to fix things on their own, this can have a negative effect on growth. The result is a disengaged, unhappy workforce.

  1. Can convince good people to leave.

Whether it’s you or one of your team leaders who’s micromanaging, nip it in the bud – or you risk losing top talent and all the costs associated with high turnover. Good people won’t stick around in an environment of micromanagement. It’s true: People don’t quit their jobs…they quit their bosses.

Find out what Frontline Source Group can do for you!

As you wrap your arms around management development and other human capital challenges, let the HR consultants at Frontline Source Group develop staffing, retention and training plans tailored specifically for your business success. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.