How to Stop Micromanaging (It's Not a Control Problem)

Plenty of very good leaders still micromanage, and telling yourself to let go rarely works. That's because you have to first address the underlying motive. What is micromanaging ACTUALLY getting you? In this solo episode of In The Arena, Shaun Dyke looks at why leaders micromanage and how to stop. 📰 The models from this conversation, in writing: https://doortwo.com/signup Micromanaging starts when something about the work becomes so important to you that you're unwilling to let someone else own the outcome. Stepping in can be completely rational, and it often wins in the short term. But the environment a leader creates is one of the biggest reasons people want to accomplish things and own the result. When you keep taking the work back, the people doing it stop feeling like they can accomplish anything or own the outcome. People see the behavior. What's driving it sits underneath, usually a motive you haven't noticed, and until you see it, you're treating a symptom. What you'll learn: • Why very good leaders, with high EQ, still micromanage • Micromanaging defined: the work matters so much to you that you won't let anyone else own the outcome • When stepping in is the rational call, and why it only wins in the short term • What micromanaging does to the environment your team works in • Hero culture, and the dopamine hit of saving the day • Achievement, affiliation and power: three motives that can sit behind it • "I don't have time," and borrowing time at a terrible interest rate • A three-minute check you can run while you watch • What to ask your team instead of "Do I micromanage?" • What are you protecting? The quality of the work, your identity as an expert, a sense of control Question for you: what's the one thing you find hardest to hand off, and what would happen if you did? Leave a comment. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 What micromanagement really is 05:05 What it does to your team 08:07 The three motives behind it 13:01 So what do you do about it? 15:18 Shaun's say-do gap, and what you're protecting 17:45 The leader who knows everything 📩 Have a question you'd like answered on the podcast? Email us at info@doortwo.com 🔔 Subscribe:    / @doortwo   🎧 Prefer to listen? Full audio episodes wherever you get podcasts. In The Arena is a podcast about what it really means to live and lead well: the patterns that run us, the scripts we inherit, and the beliefs we reinforce without realizing it. Hosted by Shaun Dyke of DoorTwo. #micromanagement #leadership #leadershipdevelopment