By Chief Maker Executive Development Academy

Most of us have experienced a micromanaging boss or peer before. Someone who supervises excessively intervenes in everything and seemingly doesn’t trust anyone to do their job. 

It’s incredibly frustrating for anyone on the receiving end. It sucks the life out of people - taking away their natural creativity, initiative and growth.

To help a micromanaging boss or peer, let’s consider for a moment why they might be micromanaging in the first place. Here are six of the most common reasons why leaders micromanage others:

 

1. They love detail

At their core, these people simply love detail, logic and the way things fit together. They find it so alluring that when a technical problem comes across their desk, they can’t help but be drawn in. It’s in their blood and it’s just the way their brain operates. 

 

2. They are new to leadership

This is most common amongst technical managers who are promoted to a leadership position because they’ve delivered such great results in their technical role. Suddenly they’re in a strategic role that requires a totally different skill set, but with little training through this transition, they end up dipping back down into the operational detail because that’s their comfort zone. All their internal decision making processes are based on having detail, and without it, they feel anxious and exposed.

 

3. They are under pressure

Leaders are often under high pressure to deliver something significant or mission critical for the business. In these moments the work of their team becomes critical to their success. Fear of public failure on these big projects can drive some leaders to start supervising their team excessively.

On the flip side, the next three reasons behind a micromanaging boss are related to the performance of others…

 

4. The employee is not performing

In this case, the employee (which might be you!) is not demonstrating the actions or getting results to make the boss feel like everything is under control. Perhaps they’re new to the role and haven’t proven themselves at this level yet. Without a track record, there’s no trust established, and without trust, an under-pressure leader might start micromanaging. 

 

5. The employee is using the wrong communication style

By not speaking the language of their boss, the employee may be creating a discomfort that is causing their boss to feel uncertain about the situation. Perhaps they’re being vague and keeping things too high level, when actually what their boss wants to hear is detail and data. Understanding personality preferences and adapting communication styles is helpful for avoiding a micromanaging boss. 

 

6. The employee is seen as a threat

Finally, there’s another reason why a leader might micromanage, and that’s because they see the team member as a threat. They’re worried that a team member will look better than them, so in retaliation, they take a fine tooth comb to everything they do, finding faults wherever possible and essentially trying to keep them in their place. 


Micromanagement in the workplace can be soul destroying for individuals and whole teams. It can lead to loss of trust, lack of autonomy, high staff turnover, stress, burnout, and an uninspiring company culture.

So whether your boss is micromanaging you or you can see someone on your team micromanaging others, start by trying to understand their reasoning and intentions first. By making this your first step, you’ll be starting in the right place to help your micromanagers lead more effectively and inspirationally.