The cost of hovering
Every time a manager looks over someone's shoulder (physically or metaphorically), a piece of trust evaporates. It's like pulling threads from a tapestry; eventually, the whole thing — no matter how beautiful it is at the start — falls apart.
Micromanagement isn't just an annoyance. It's a culture killer that spreads like a virus through organisations, transforming passionate professionals into permission-seeking robots. When people need approval for their every move, they stop moving altogether.
Here's what happens: The motivation that drives decision-making and action gets snuffed out. People don't bring their whole selves to work — they bring the version of themselves that they think their hovering manager wants to see. Ever had to bring ‘a different person to work’? That’s the result of micromanagement and it's exhausting for everyone involved.
But the real cost is in the stories people tell their friends. The stories that make it out into the real world. Things such as:
“Nothing I do is good enough for my manager”
“I can't make any decisions without asking for permission”
“My boss wants to be copied into every email or invited to every meeting”.
These narratives become the culture, making it impossible to attract and retain the kind of talent required to help the organisation achieve the results they’re looking for.
Leaders know that micromanagement is actually a confession of their own insecurity. By controlling every detail, they're announcing to the world that either they hired the wrong people or they don't know how to lead the right ones.
Want a culture of action, creativity or innovation? With people who come to work ready to make a difference? Start by letting go. Trust is like a muscle – it gets stronger with use. And in today's talent market — with employees looking to join great cultures — the organisations that win are the ones where trust isn't just a poster on the wall. Trust is how work gets done.
The choice is simple: build a culture of trust through managers who understand how to empower and motivate, or watch your results suffer and your best people walk out of the door.