Quit the Trap of Micromanaging: A 6-Step Formula for Accountability

Avoiding micromanaging is tricky.

Although intentions may be good, the consequences can be devastating for team performance. From impacting team morale and slowing down productivity to creating an environment lacking trust and motivation, over-controlling leadership is set for failure.

So, why do so many leaders end up micromanaging?

It may seem to be a good solution to ensure great results. The more you control, the less that can go wrong, right? The problem is as soon as you engage with this practice, you give up on your team. Instead of empowering, you are controlling.

This automatically leads to disengagement and demotivation. And the less they care for the company’s results, the worse their performance is, and you feel a greater need to continue micromanaging.

At this point, you are caught in a vicious cycle that may only end when one gives up and quits or fires the other.

Break free from the micromanaging cycle before it breaks you.

To open the door to success and embody a calmer leadership style, you should focus on empowering your team and setting the foundations for an accountability culture. As DHH puts it “People will raise to your high standards or fall to your low standards”.

Accountability is hard. Probably one of the most challenging things a leader can create, but it is possible.

It all starts with a self-assessment, noticing and acknowledging you are engaging in over-controlling behaviours. Then be willing to learn, change, and improve. To help you find the intricate balance between overseeing results and empowering your team members, we have put together a 6-step formula for accountability. 

The 6-Step Formula

Great leaders do not control, they inspire and support. Take the following steps as a guide to ease your leadership role, making it more enjoyable and rewarding:

• Set your expectations. What does successful work look like? Be specific and objective. If it is a project work, set all project tasks and deadlines, and have clear scopes. If it is ongoing work (e.g. support, sales, etc.) set comprehensive KPIs. The better the guidance, the less the ambiguity. Remember if people are in doubt, you have not made it clear.
• Let your team create their work plan. Pass the ball to your team by making them think and plan their work and priorities for the month. Then the idea is for your team to present the plan to you. Your job is to constructively challenge their plan and make sure it is aligned with the company’s overall direction and goals. This is a great strategy to anchor accountability.
• Write down all tasks and goals. This allows you to stay in the loop and follow up and avoids unnecessary interruption for your team.
• Praise any progress immediately. Celebrate the small wins! What you reward is what you get in return. If you praise a certain behaviour, like sharing the work before the deadline, the other person is going to repeat it. Small acknowledgments go a long way.
• Help your team unstuck. Focus on where your team is feeling stuck and support them in its resolution so that they can reach their goal.
• Set self-evaluations at the end of each month. Before reviewing the next month’s plan, allow for feedback to occur – create space for your team to individually share what worked for them and the challenges they faced this past month. This anchors accountability and allows you to improve and prevent situations, promoting good work and productivity.

Key takeaways

Accountability is the solution to break from the micromanaging cycle some leaders may unintendedly fall into. It is a challenging process that should be fully embraced as it results in remarkable outcomes. With a few easy steps, you can start building your way into an accountability culture and creating a new way of doing leadership:

• Set your expectations clearly;
• Let your team create their work plan and constructively discuss it;
• Write down all tasks and goals so it is easier to follow up;
• Always praise any progress;
• Help your team unstuck;
• Set self-evaluations at the end of each month and before reviewing next month’s plan.