A message from Sandy. Too much micromanagement and no delegation are signs of mismanagement. Trust is one of the essential elements in all high performing teams. True delegation is one of the core  indicators of trust levels between the leader and the led. If your team seems frustrated and morale is low it may be time to take a closer look at whether you are guilty of micromanaging.

Signs  You Are Micromanaging:

• You have high turnover: When people can’t do their job properly; their talents are wasted. In this situation it is difficult to to learn and grow. Anyone who is capable and ambitious  will not hang around long allowing someone to frustrate and block their progress.
• You have low morale: People who feel they do not contribute in a  meaningful way lose loyalty and commitment. The feeling that they can make a difference may be withering —lethargy and apathy set in.
• Your unmotivated team is providing a lower quality of work (or may be less productive/less initiative to do their job well):  People can give up and decide just to go along with whatever because it is simpler——or if disgruntled, they may create further problems within the team, trying to drag everyone else down to their level,  rather than tackle the issues directly and negotiate for improvements.
• Productivity, profitability, and new business development are declining: You may be spending so much time “working in the business” that you have little time to “work on the business”.
• You are focused on the wrong priorities:  Overwhelmed  at the volume of work that needs to get done, may cause you to work on the easier tasks at the expense of the bigger, longer range tasks, and the “big picture” thinking that drives a business.
• You are burnt out and/or your family life/personal problems/dramas are adding stress:  You work longer hours trying to “get it all done.” There will be an absence of flow in your life, because you won’t have time to do the things you love.

You may think you are delegating, when in fact it is micromanaging in sheep’s clothing.