How Not to Micromanage Talented Employees

While it can be a difficult, it is worth taking the time to avoid slipping into micromanagement


Some time ago (pre-pandemic), I was at a barbecue at someone’s house. While the host was grilling, I spent some time catching up with him next to the grill. During the time I was catching up with the host, someone came over a few times to give the host some pointers and direction. In my opinion, he was grilling just fine and didn’t need any advice, but I stayed quiet. After the first few visits, the pointers and direction turned into full-blown micromanagement.


At the time, I remember thinking that there is surely a security lesson that can be learned from this experience. While it has certainly taken me a while, I believe I’ve found one. It’s not a technical or operational lesson, but rather, a management one.


Having been an individual contributor for many years and having worked in very technical positions, I grew accustomed to taking on a problem or challenge, running with it, and solving or addressing it. I am certainly not unique in my ability to do so. I have worked with many other talented individuals over the years who are equally, if not even more, capable of doing so themselves.


Over my years as an individual contributor, I had a mix of different managers. Some of them were quite good, while others were mediocre at best. One was downright awful. As I recall, the managers that bothered me the most were those that constantly felt the need to micromanage everything.


When working for a micromanager, at first, there may be a tendency to take it personally. After a bit of time has passed, however, ..

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