n my last article, we touched briefly on the effects that a toxic micromanager can bring to the business, bringing down an entire business. With that all said however, you can change those same micromanagers into productive and essential team members by redirecting the things that they are micromanaging.

Before we get in too deep into this conversation we need to talk about the reasons a micromanager does take over or control a team the way that they do. Many articles will cite that a toxic micromanager will simply have trust issues, but I would retort back what causes those trust issues? You are not going to be able to help your manager become a better and stronger leader unless you answer the question of what causes that lack of trust? In many cases that I have seen it is the combination of both fear and pride.

An example might be a manager feeling like their performance is dependent on the accomplishments of their team. Fearing that a bad result will end up on some higher authority’s radar causing them to lose their coveted position. They think in their mind “If I direct my team in every single step that will not happen”. Ironically- because of the natural consequences of micromanagement this is exactly what happens seemingly reinforcing their idea of needing absolute control. It’s more complicated than the simple notion of not trusting others. There is fear, and there is ego.

With this in mind, once the root cause of fear and pride is discovered. We can begin to talk about how to redirect micromanagers’ focus away from their teammates, into healthier ways of proper micromanagement. This approach is similar to the article “Micromanage the Process, Not the People” written by Elizabeth Pinky. I would highly recommend reading her article as well!

Setting Clear Realistic Expectations, Not Demands:

A micromanager will fall into the trap of demanding outcomes without setting the parameters of success. For instance, if you are in a fast food industry that requires the use of a cook line a micromanager will demand that food be done as quickly as possible. Putting loads of stress on their cook line as the demand is too vague for success. Whereas effective micromanagement would set the parameters to “This item should take 5 minutes to fully cook, therefore it should be out to the customer within 8 to 10 minutes.” This sets the expectation, providing challenges to your employees but not causing frustration.

Confronting insecurity, Receiving and Listening to Employee Feedback:

One of the biggest hurdles in micromanagement is ego, a person who micromanages may believe that they are the sole reason that a company hasn’t fallen apart or some other far-fetched delusion. They may believe that they are not as controlling as they appear because people are too afraid to confront them. The biggest way to change a micromanager is to be candid with them and to have others be candid with them as well. This does not mean to be angrily confrontational, but to provide constructive feedback in order to guide them to better leadership habits. It is also vital that the manager listens to this criticism, not internalizing it as a personal attack, but using it to create effective goals towards change.

Servant Leadership and Letting go of the Need of Perfection:

One of the biggest downsides of micromanagement is that people underneath the manager never feel as if they are thriving. They feel constantly frustrated and loathed by those above them causing resentment between leadership and employee. One of the easiest ways to reverse this is by teaching your micromanager about servant leadership. Servant leadership in a nutshell is the philosophy that the leader’s ultimate goal is to serve his co-workers and customers. Most micromanagers will focus entirely on traditional leadership skills that are oriented around the outcomes and benefit of the business or customer without realizing that it could be the incorrect way of thought for their team.

This philosophy will only work however if the leader in question also simultaneously lets go of the need for perfection. Servant Leadership requires the leader to wait and not let unwanted outcomes bother them. Using our imaginary fast food case study, let’s say that the micromanager is in charge of training a new individual in a new grill process. The leader notices that the line for hot food is growing larger, some of the customers are beginning to complain even. A micromanager will instantly move the trainee without a thought to another task, without even considering how to help the individual. While as a non-toxic manager would use the experience to show how to streamline the process, teach more effective methods, give praise and build confidence, or even simply ask ‘How can I help?” to the trainee.

Building Self-Confidence, Visualize success:

The last thing that this leader will need is to build their own self-confidence. Eliminating negativity, and being able to visualize their own success. What is their goal? Do they want to be a better leader? Perhaps they are aiming for a better position? You can help guide your leader to this, however, it will be entirely dependent on the individual to find their “true north” and their own philosophy. You cannot build self-confidence in your leader they will have to do that themselves by learning to own their position, remove negativity, and set their own goals towards success.

I know that by using these methods you can create empathetic and valued leaders in your company with a little patience and time. However, if I still urge that if these tricks are not effective in redirecting the leader, then you will have to seek other more dire options to your plight such as demotion, or replacement of the individual.