VIDEO: What is Micromanagement?
Micromanagers have a bad rep. But do we know what micromanagement actually looks like in practice?
The thing is, I have actually had a few people over the years while in Production in animation say that they actually don’t mind or even prefer being micro-managed. I remember being stunned a few years ago when someone who is now an Art Director told me specifically they NEED to be micromanaged to succeed at work.
I get this feeling that a lot of us complain about it, but we don’t actually know what micro management means or looks like in full. Fortunately, this chart from Radical Cantor: Be a Kick-ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott lays it all out for us. She identifies these traits of micromanagement:
Scott identifies key characteristics of a micromanager as:
- Hands-on, ears off, mouth on.
- Lacks curiosity. Pretends to know.it all.
- Doesn’t listen. Tells how.
- Gets lost in the details.
- Asks for make-work presentations, reports, and updates.
- Sets goals arbitrarily
- Tells people how to solve problems without fully understanding them.
- Tells people how to remove obstacles/defuse situations, but watches from a safe distance
- Pretends to know when they don’t.
- Hoards information
We can see some common themes with Scott’s table:
- Not listening
- Pretending to know it all
- Not collaborating
Going back to my example earlier of the Art Director, I wonder if their self-confessed need for micromanagement is actually symptomatic of something else: they don’t need to be micromanaged, they need to be set up for success.
Looking back, as a coordinator (and referring to Scott’s table if it had existed then), I probably should have tried these things instead, in collaboration with their supervisor at the time:
- Listened more
- Asked where in particular this person was struggling with their workload
- Helped them to understand departmental targets better
- Provided more information and reference relevant to their tasks
I think sometimes that the terms ‘micromanaging’ and ‘hand holding’ are used interchangeably. If we are doing too much hand-holding, then perhaps we need to be looking at how we are training people or ramping them up for a role.
For example, what gaps in the training process need to be filled out more? Do we have the right people involved to help train and mentor crew in their roles? In the case of micro-management, I think the more work we put in up front (i.e. prevention, being proactive, proper training) will help avoid micromanagement down the line.
Here are a couple of quotes from Empowerment for All: A Four-Step Framework for Creating Change in Teams and Communities by Annie Jean-Baptiste on micromanagement.
What Empowerment Is Not
Micromanaging: No one likes being micromanaged. Micromanagement is when you hover over every little detail and don't give agency to the person you are working or collaborating with. It signals that you don't have trust and confidence that the person can do the work. And if you don't have that confidence, why are they doing it? If you do, it's time to work through why you feel the need to micromanage. Is it because it's a new project and you feel unsure or unsettled?
Is it because you are a recovering perfectionist and want to make sure it's done to a certain standard? Something else? Understanding why is critical.
p. 15 of Empowerment for All by Annie Jean-Baptiste
And another
Don't Micromanage
When team members are given autonomy and ownership over their work, they naturally become more invested in the outcome. When you hover over every move, you don't give people the runway to suggest alternatives that may actually be better than you envisioned.
So many times, I've given a team member a problem and was astounded and delighted by their thought processes and the solutions they came up with. As a manager or leader, you may still provide input, but if you squash different opinions from the beginning, you'll never learn of the possibilities.
p. 80 of Empowerment for All by Annie Jean-Baptiste
Further learning
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
VIDEO: The Importance of Listening at Work
VIDEO: Done is Another Person's Perfect
Updates
This post was updated June 2026 to include two quotes from Empowerment for All: A Four-Step Framework for Creating Change in Teams and Communities by Annie Jean-Baptiste