This post somewhat inspired by Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter (Amazon affiliate link)
Look, I get it. You’re a manager. You’re responsible for outcomes. Things need to get done right. But let me tell you what happens when you decide that “managing” means hovering over your senior engineers like a helicopter parent watching their kid cross the street for the first time.
You know Sarah? The one who shipped three major features last quarter while mentoring two juniors? Yeah, she doesn’t give a shit anymore. And it’s your fault.
Here’s What You Did
You hired intelligent, capable people. People with track records. People who’ve been solving complex problems since before you got promoted. Then you proceeded to treat them like they just graduated from a coding bootcamp yesterday.
Every. Single. Decision. needs your approval now. They can’t choose a library without a meeting. They can’t refactor a function without running it by you first. They can’t take a bathroom break without wondering if you’ll ask why they were gone for seven minutes.
Congratulations! You’ve invented the least efficient way to run a team since someone thought “let’s make all decisions by committee.”
The Insult You’re Not Seeing
When you micromanage senior people, here’s what you’re actually saying:
“I don’t trust your judgment.”
“I think you’re going to screw this up.”
“Despite your years of experience, I know better than you about literally everything.”
These are smart people. They hear you loud and clear. And you know what smart people do when you tell them they’re not smart enough? They stop trying to be smart.
Welcome to Learned Helplessness Town, Population: Your Entire Team
You wanted control? Cool, you got it. Now enjoy fielding 47 questions a day about things your team used to handle themselves.
- “Should I use a switch statement or if-else?” (They know. They’re asking because last time they didn’t ask, you “had concerns.”)
- “Which color should this button be?” (They’ve designed 100 interfaces. They’re asking because you changed it last time.)
- “Can I go ahead and fix this obvious bug?” (It’s a two-line fix. They’re asking because apparently that requires Product sign-off now.)
You’ve trained them that initiative gets punished. Compliance gets rewarded. So now nobody shows initiative. They’re just waiting for you to tell them what to do, exactly how to do it, and when to breathe during the process.
This is learned helplessness, and you’re the world’s most effective teacher.
Your Best People Are Already Gone (Mentally)
Here’s the thing about talented people: they have options. Lots of them.
Sarah’s not arguing with you anymore. She’s not pushing back on your “suggestions” (demands). She’s not bringing new ideas to the table. She just nods, says “sure thing,” and does exactly what you asked—nothing more, nothing less.
She’s quiet-quit on actually caring about the work. She’s doing the bare minimum to keep her job while her resume is out there getting interviews. Every recruiter message on LinkedIn looks more appealing than it used to.
You think you’re getting compliance. You’re getting malicious compliance at best, and a resignation letter at worst.
The Really Stupid Part
The absolute kicker? You hired these people specifically because they could handle complex work independently. That was literally the job description. “Self-starter.” “Takes ownership.” “Minimal supervision required.”
Then you proceeded to eliminate every condition necessary for those qualities to exist.
You wanted ownership? You can’t give someone ownership while controlling every decision.
You wanted innovation? You can’t innovate when every experiment needs a risk assessment and three levels of approval.
You wanted engagement? People don’t engage with work when they’re just following orders.
What You Should Do Instead
Here’s a radical idea: Let people do their jobs.
Set clear goals. Provide context. Get out of the way. Be available when they need you. Trust that the experienced professionals you hired are, in fact, experienced professionals.
If someone’s screwing up consistently, address that person. Don’t punish your entire team with process because one person can’t be trusted.
And for the love of everything holy, stop checking in every two hours. They know you don’t trust them. You’re not subtle.
The Bottom Line
Micromanagement isn’t management. It’s abdication of management dressed up as diligence. Real management is about enabling people to do their best work, not ensuring they can’t do anything without you.
Your best people don’t need a babysitter. They need a leader who trusts them, supports them, and gets the hell out of their way.
But sure, keep doing what you’re doing. I’m sure the constant turnover and the team of disengaged zombies is exactly what the company had in mind when they promoted you.
Filed under: things your team is thinking but too professional to say to your face
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