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As a first-time manager, you might be unsure of how much autonomy to give your team members. The proliferation of remote and hybrid work makes striking a balance between over- and undermanaging even trickier. Without regular, in-person oversight, micromanagement has increased for some leaders while others are too hands-off, leaving their direct reports to fend for themselves. Either way, both leadership styles can result in direct reports who are frustrated, disengaged, or more likely to depart. To understand which direction you lean, ask yourself three questions: Is your main focus how you’re coming across as a leader?; Are you redoing your teams’ work all the time?; Is your team constantly missing deadlines or moving slowly?
My first boss, Colleen, was a micromanager. Each time she walked by my desk in our open office plan, my whole body tensed up. I was constantly being watched. Everyone on our team knew that she expected perfection and that meant doing things “the Colleen way.” I devoted myself to learning the ins and outs of her preferences and becoming her perfect sidekick — but even so, her control never loosened.
