The 5 Steps from Micromanagement to Trust

Micromanagers often believe they are better at doing a job than anyone on their team. This is one reason they have difficulty delegating.

How do micromanagers trust employees so that they are more comfortable delegating?

1. Realize that learning to trust is a process. It won’t occur in one day. Give yourself time.

2. Set clear goals and outcomes for each project. Do not tell staff exactly how to achieve these outcomes. Let them figure that out and come back to you with a plan.

3. Stick with it. Be consistent in delegating and checking in at a high level.

4. Stay out of the details. Unless you are invited in. Work with the team on the issue, then back off and give them room.

5. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Continue to remind staff of the organization's goals and how their projects support achieving these goals.

Building trust is worth the effort. In the May 2008 Journal of Applied Psychology, Sabrina Deutsch Salamon, associate professor of organizational behavior at York University in Toronto, Canada, and Sandra L. Robinson, professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, published a study involving 88 retail stores in Canada. They found that, in stores where employees felt trusted, they were more likely to rise to managers’ expectations and perform better in terms of sales and customer service.

To read more about micromanagement click on The 3 Signs of Micromanagement

The most common area I coach around is micromanagement. If you'd like support in becoming a better leader, one that thinks strategically and delegates with trust, contact me at Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com