This can be hard, but your trust in your leadership team largely depends on the people you hire, your capacity to train them, and the work you delegate to them. If you believe in their ability to do those things, you need to trust your team to get the results you want and not micro-manage every project.

The micro-manager, the most feared leadership type

This can be hard for more education leaders because even though they trust their employees, they also know that they will ultimately be held responsible for the outcome. That’s why many education leaders delegate authority and tasks, but they also look over their employee’s shoulder, attempting to positively influence the results. This is almost always counter-productive, as it can cause your employees to become frustrated and lose confidence.

The reason why you delegate authority is to lessen your workload and to help the other person grow professionally. When you micromanage, your employees do not grow, they regress, and you end up doing the work anyway, taking you away from more pressing duties.

Do self a favor, and hire people with the skills and aptitude to do the work, train them properly, and then take the training wheels off. Delegate projects to them and let them carry out their duties. You can certainly monitor the project, just don’t be so hands-on. Ask for weekly updates and reports on their progress, so you can spot any potential issues. Don’t micromanage, just assist. Everyone needs an extra pair of eyes and ears, but you don’t have to constantly look over their shoulder. You can make sure a project stays on track without micromanaging.

A little homework

Over the next month, make a point not to micromanage your employees. Don’t just try, do it. After one month, what are you starting to notice? If you truly have stopped micromanaging, you will notice that most of your employees have risen to the occasion and performed above and beyond your standards without you looking over their shoulders. Productivity will increase because your employees are working autonomously, and you are freed up to work on more important tasks.