Micromanagement is basically non-trust. People who feel the need to Micromanage, refuse to loosen the reins via empowerment. What they don’t realize is that team members need to feel trusted and valued. Otherwise, they will feel less than accountable because micromanagement undermines accountability. It sends the message to those being managed that we hired you to do a job, but we really do not think you can do it. It’s like these micromanagers feel the need to oppressively control every aspect of their subordinate’s work experience. 

Leaders and managers who are prone to manage every detail of their business will ultimately kill their own spirit as well as lose the support of their team members. If you feel the need to step in and take the reins, don’t! Learn to delegate key tasks and give credit where credit is due. The worst thing a manager can do is take credit for another’s work. People who micromanage tend to get caught up in process and procedure, not their people. It’s like they read the manual or took the course and then enacted the literal interpretation thereof. 

This line of discussion reminds me of a scene from one of the Bourne movies where the two CIA operatives were in a heated conversation where one was following the process and the other was more tenured and from the school of hard knocks. The more senior of two finally looked at the process person and said, “You talk about this stuff like you read it in a book.” Micromanagement also reminds me of the person who thinks they can beat the stock market by technically predicting trends but doesn't consider the emotional aspects of market drivers and fluctuations. This is where they get into trouble - they think one size fits all. Micromanagers think they can manage a 20-year veteran as they would someone straight out of college. Managing people is a lot like child rearing. In that, you don’t parent your eighteen-year-old like they are ten. Truth be told, leaders who can’t lead, micromanage.