How to Stop Micromanaging Your Team – Part 2

A Key Lesson in Understanding People

Early in our marriage, my wife, Sue, and I used to spend a lot of time on Saturdays doing the weekly shop. Now, I hate shopping, but I understood that it needed to be done. As an engineer, I wanted to find a more efficient way of getting this job done. So, I offered to do the shopping on my way home from work. I thought that all I’d need was a suitable list, and we could free up our Saturdays for something more enjoyable.

Although I dislike shopping, I was prepared to take it on for the greater good. However, my very kind offer was quickly turned down. At the time, I was frustrated and felt that my incredibly sensible solution had been dismissed without proper consideration. How unreasonable!

Years later I discovered why Sue had turned down my offer. She loves shopping! From her perspective, I had offered to take away one of her favourite activities of the week. Plus she knew how much I hated shopping and didn’t want to burden me with a task I disliked. It was obvious, really: Why should she give up something she enjoyed, only for me to take it on and hate doing it?

Not everyone is motivated or inspired in the same way.

This story illustrates an important point in leadership: not everyone is motivated or inspired in the same way. Just because something seems efficient or logical to me, doesn’t mean it’s the best solution for someone else. The same is true in managing a team—what works for me may not work for them.

The Peter Principle: Promotion Gone Wrong

I’ve seen a similar scenario in the workplace. In one company, the career progression for engineers moved from Design Engineer to Senior Design Engineer, to Project Manager, to Group Manager. I watched many talented engineers get promoted into management roles they hated, leaving behind jobs they excelled at. This is a classic example of the Peter Principle, a concept developed by Laurence Peter. He noticed that people are often promoted to their “level of incompetence”, where their skills from previous roles don’t necessarily translate to the new ones.

This concept was later extended into the Dilbert Principle, popularised by Dilbert creator Scott Adams, who cheekily suggested that companies promote incompetent employees to management roles to get them out of the way.

Both principles highlight a fundamental problem: promotions based on past performance can lead to placing people in roles they’re ill-suited for, often to the detriment of the individual and the organisation.

Leading People, Not Managing Tasks

When I started as a Project Manager, I was eager to learn “the right way to manage a project.” Over the years, I discovered that there isn’t one right way. The only thing consistent between Project Managers is that they’re all different.

When people are motivated and inspired, they drive themselves to achieve great results.

What I learned is that you can manage tasks, but you need to lead people. Successful projects often hinge on effective leadership—turning people’s ‘have-to’ into ‘want-to.’ When people are motivated and inspired, they drive themselves to achieve great results. Micromanagement, on the other hand, drains this motivation and limits innovation.

The CEO Approach to Leadership

To build a strong, high-performing team, a leader should focus on becoming a true CEO, not in the corporate sense, but through their Character, Empowering, and Opportunities. Let’s break this down:

• Character: Personal Lifestyle
  A leader’s personal character sets the foundation for their leadership style. How you live your life—your integrity, your work ethic, and how you treat others—becomes the example your team will follow. It’s not enough to dictate behaviours; you need to model them. Leadership starts with who you are, not just what you do.

• Empowering: Equipping, Encouraging, Exhorting
  Great leaders empower their team by providing the tools and support they need to succeed. This means equipping them with the right resources, encouraging them through challenges, and exhorting them to reach their full potential. Micromanaging inhibits empowerment because it takes away ownership. Instead, build an environment where people feel capable of taking initiative.

• Opportunities: Creating Platforms for People to Express Their Gifts
  As a leader, your job is to create opportunities for your team to shine. By recognising and nurturing their unique talents, you help them reach their full potential. This not only benefits the individuals but also strengthens the team as a whole. Give your team the chance to take on responsibilities that align with their strengths, and you’ll see them thrive.

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👉 Effective leadership doesn’t stop at empowering others; it’s also about building on foundational values. In Part 3, we’ll look at how certain attitudes and beliefs can sabotage your leadership – and how to gain alignment in a motivated, self-driven team.

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Next Steps

• Reflect on your ability to turn people’s ‘have to’ into ‘want to’

• To help you manage your team more effectively, consider using Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius framework. It’s among the best models I’ve used for helping team members understand and appreciate each other.

• If you’d like some individual coaching in leading others, I’d love to help.

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Attributions

Photo: nappy

Copy & Content Support: Will Salmon