From Micro-Manager to Trusted Partner

Early in my management career, I had a boss who was intensely detail-oriented and knew the business like the back of his hand. He scrutinized his staff's activities with precision and dominance, and without realizing it, those behaviors trickled down to me. I thought of myself as an empathetic, people-first manager. I truly believed this. But, it took a lunch with a former employee, a few years after the fact, to learn how my team perceived me. I was told plainly, but kindly, that I had been a micromanager.

Micromanagement rarely comes from malice, but more often from pressure and a lack of coaching. A manager who hovers is usually a manager being scrutinized from above, operating without clear direction, and trying to hold something together in an environment where the definition of success keeps shifting. The behavior is about their fear, not your performance.