Ministry is one of those endeavors that, for whatever reason, seems to attract more than its share of folks with a bent toward micromanagement. For all the talk about leadership development and empowerment, it seems that ministry has an inordinate amount of people who feel a compelling need to control outcomes to the degree they end up irritating the people they work with.
A while back, a good friend told me about a time he was asked by his DS to coordinate an event in conjunction with District Assembly. He recruited some volunteers, formed a plan, and put things in place to do what had been asked of him. On the day of the event, the DS walked into the room, looked around, and said “Well—as I envisioned this in my mind, I thought we’d do it this way” and started changing some things up in terms of the room layout and configuration. The frustration and annoyance my friend felt in that moment was palpable. As he said later to me, “If you’re going to ask me to do something and then change it up at the last minute, just do it yourself and don’t ask me in the first place.” It created a rift in their relationship, as no one likes to be related to in a way that makes them feel like the work they did was inferior or substandard … particularly when the issue is not a matter of whether it’s acceptable but, rather, whether it aligns with the other individual’s personal preferences.
What is it about what’s going on within certain people that inclines them toward micromanagement? Why is it some people have an almost compulsive need to step in and insert themselves in this way? As one who has spent a number of years being a part of teams—both leading and serving collaboratively under the direction of others—I’ve come up with four or five things that appear to be going on within the lives of those who have a tendency to micromanage.
(1) Fear. It could be fear of a number of things—that the task will not be done up to standard … that some people will think the leader is not doing his/her job. When a leader operates out of fear, it is more likely that he/she will try to navigate and control every outcome in an attempt to alleviate those fears.
(2) Insecurity. Most of us are familiar with the “imposter syndrome” … feelings of self-doubt that manifest themselves in a worry about being exposed as a fraud. Despite evidence to the contrary, people with the “imposter syndrome” don’t feel like they deserve the success they have. If something adverse happens, they’ll be exposed and their ineptitude will be brought to light. This mindset often causes the leader to try to control the actions of those around them.
(3) Lack of trust. Perhaps someone in the past has let them down in an embarrassing or humiliating way. There’s the “hot burner tendency” to be much more guarded and cautious about extending trust. But here’s the reality: Mistrust never inspires the behavior you want. If you can give yourself to trust people and believe the best until it is broken, you’ll find that for most folks it won’t be. If it is, then you’ve got the wrong person on the team … which is an entirely different problem altogether.
(4) Pride. People who struggle with pride don’t know how to empower—they can only control. Empowerment is not about cutting people loose to do whatever they want but, rather, letting them accomplish predetermined and agreed upon objectives in a way that works for them. It is not about delegating tasks, but delegating authority. Folks with a pride problem won’t relinquish authority or power, as they’re looking to make their life easier by engaging sycophants and not necessarily developing leaders.
(5) Perfectionism. There is a fine line between excellence and perfectionism. Excellence is a worthy and laudable pursuit; perfectionism is not. Excellence is about “doing the right things” while perfectionism is often about “doing things right.” Those who micromanage have blurred these concepts in their minds to where their need to control beyond what is helpful sabotages their influence and undermines their leadership.
I’ve worked with people who made me believe they trusted me, and I’ve worked with folks where I felt doubted and/or incompetent. While I certainly understand the need for training, guidance, and coaching, I also know that when appropriate oversight becomes excessive or exaggerated—when it descends into micromanagement—it is demoralizing. For no one thrives, and the organization doesn’t flourish, in an environment where people feel like they’re inept or their competence is in question.