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How to tell if you are a Micro-Manager 
By: Lisa Symons, Symon Says Communication
There's a dark side to delegation and that's micromanagement.
Those who manage with excessive control or attention to detail are often referred to as Micromanagers. Is this style of management ever appropriate? In some key situations, yes, it is. Most managers are going to recognize these situations, so this will be a review.
Obviously, if deadlines are missed, you need to step in, as the manager, and get people back on track, find out what happened and, if necessary, plan the action for the individual to make sure that they're able to get the work done.
You may also need to step in if a project is not going as planned, or employees are hitting milestones but still falling short of expected results.
If a team member's skills aren't up to the challenge, or if they don't have the time, or the interest, then it's up to the manager to step in to make sure the task is completed. This is crucial for health of the team, but also for the individual as well, since if the delegated role is simply beyond their skills, you might actually cause more damage by letting them fail than by stepping in. Whether you do the work yourself or, better yet, delegate to someone else, keep the original team involved so they can learn from the process.
If, however, a team member has the skills, the time, and the ability, and is just not willing to perform, then you need to look at the situation from a personnel perspective. Ask yourself what is causing the problem. What's going on with this individual? Remember, even seemingly individual issues can cause problems for the team very quickly.
If a team member is responsible for an especially sensitive file or job, you may need to stay hands-on simply because the averting the risk of information leaks or mistakes is of greater importance than ensuring that the person has complete autonomy.
When is it not okay to micro-manage? Unfortunately this can be a bit of a gray area and a dangerous one, since when employees feel micromanaged, they tend to manifest this by being frustrated or even fearful.
Often, you're second guessing, or over-questioning of a team member about how they arrived at a certain end result, can lead to that individual not trusting his own judgment. And the less a team member trusts himself, the harder it is for him to take on the next delegated task.
The number one reason employees leave their jobs is bad management. Whether they feel they don't have the control, the autonomy, or the ability to grow that they'd like, the good news is that these are all things a manager can control.
If Micromanaging affects the mental health of the staff or the overall efficiency of the organization, it's not okay. If you're constantly undermining an employee's decisions and performance, that behavior will inevitably affect their ability to perform, and it's also going to impact the team dynamic. To see where you fall on the micromanaging spectrum, answer the seven questions below.
1. Do you find it difficult to delegate tasks?
2. Do you believe you can complete most your team's tasks better than they can?
3. Do you feel it is more efficient to do the job yourself, rather than give the job to a team member?
4. Do you encourage your staff to learn from mistakes?
5. Do you spend an unusual amount of time overseeing single projects?
6. Are you as overworked as your team?
7. Does your team always check with you before doing anything?
Did you answer all the questions above honestly? Remember, it is not all black and white.
Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles
90% of managers delegate, but only 5% of these delegated tasks are completed without hands-on support from management. Take this effective delegation quiz at www.delegatesuccess.com to determine what type of delegation style you have. Stop working long hours and get your projects done! Lisa Symons has more than 12 years experience with global IT management.
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