You may work with someone who is a micromanager or maybe you are a micromanager. Most people don’t strive to be a micromanager. Managing micromanaging is not easy to do. Micromanagers are often motivated by anxiety. “They are often perfectionists and nervous about anyone else being able to do things as well or in the way they would do them.

Many micromanagers feel the need to hover in order to monitor efficiency, or to keep things on track, especially if someone has made mistakes in the past. Others simply don’t know any better. Dentists don’t go to school to be managers and often times become micromanagers. Managers may be promoted into a manager role because they were great at completing tasks. Often times without proper training.

We tend to promote the person who does the best job at the individual level and not the best potential manager. Why? Because it’s easier to see who is a skilled worker then it is to determine who would be the best at managing and empowering others.

Here are four signs you may be a micromanager!

Your greatest fear is losing control!

You have a need to control, you’re obsessed with watching and knowing what others are doing. Everything must be done the right way…which really means your way or you’re not satisfied. You often change trivial things even if it is done well because it is not exactly how you would have done it.   You tell others step-by-step of how the task has to be done and leave no room for their input. As a result you suppress their growth. Being controlling out of fear will actually make you lose control.

You know best!

Believing you know best, you think your employees and co-workers’ work is not good enough. Your actions communicate that their work is substandard. You don’t give them the opportunity to share ideas or use their skills, talents. Instead, you implement your ideas and make decisions based only on your knowledge. Believing you have all the answers, you do everything yourself. This attitude alienates employees and co-workers and causes them to doubt their own capabilities.

You believe most people don’t work as hard as you do and often waste time and resources!

One of the most negative traits of a micromanager is judgment of others. Micromanagers question whether others are working to their capacity. You spy or demand proof that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. This lack of trust creates stress for everyone. Constantly judging and prying will eventually create lack of trust, respect and engagement.

You think delegating is a total waste of time!

You usually run out of day before you run out of tasks. Everyone has the same amount of time during the day. However, your day seems less than others. Lack of delegation leaves everything up to you to get done. You’re overloaded with trivial tasks and projects that rarely get completed. Lack of trust in delegation and communication with your employees and co-workers forces you to micromanage. Practice developing your delegation skills to reduce your workload and give employees and co-workers a sense of ownership.

So if we don’t desire to be a micromanager why do we become a micromanager? There are three main reasons someone becomes a micromanager:

• Fear of failure in the past experiences
• Need for perfection
• Only example we know

Check out my next blog and learn what you can do to help a micromanager lessen micromanaging. The first step in changing micromanagement behaviors in ourselves and others is being aware and understanding their impact!

Please join me when I present Managing Micromanaging at AADOM Annual Conference in beautiful Orlando, Florida on July 19, 2019!  Click on this link www.dentalmanagers.com and use code JKM.  Please contact Judy Kay at Judykay@PracticeSolutionsInc.net  if you would like to speak with her to learn more about how she can help you cultivate a happier, healthier and higher performing culture.