Stop Being A Control Freak

When we’re put in charge of projects, it can be tough to delegate items to other people. Doing so means letting go of control. That can be scary, particularly if we’re the ones who’ll be in the hot seat if the tasks we delegate are handled poorly. That’s the perspective of a control freak. It’s not irrational. But it can have major consequences in terms of workplace productivity and staff efficiency. The control freak does everything in his or her power to keep a tight rein on whatever project is on their plate. He or she isn’t content to delegate and supervise. The control freak must micromanage, ensuring every detail is addressed properly and in a timely fashion. It’s an exhausting way to work. It’s also likely to hinder the project manager’s effectiveness and erode the morale of his or her team. The tendency to avoid delegating tasks isn’t just the province of corporate managers. Small business owners and freelancers face the same temptation. In fact, entrepreneurs are notorious for being control freaks. Many have grown accustomed to doing everything themselves to make their businesses successful. That inclination has been reinforced in their psyches to such an extent that they’re all but unable to cede control to others. That’s a problem. If you’re trying to do everything yourself, you cannot possibly work at peak productivity.

How This Bad Habit Hurts Your Productivity 

The negative effects of being a control freak aren’t always obvious, at least not to the person trying to retain control. In most cases, he or she fails to realize they’re doing more harm than good - to themselves, their work output and their company or business. It’s important that we highlight some of the ways doing everything on your own inhibits your productivity. Four are worth noting here. First, being a control freak siphons away time and resources from your other responsibilities. Your attention is instead devoted to micromanaging every minute detail. Second, you’re less focused on your long-term goals. Being overly involved in the minutiae of your project means you’re less attentive of the big picture. For example, if you’re a corporate manager, the big picture might be to complete your project in such a way that it allows integration with other departments in your company. If you’re an entrepreneur, the big picture might involve growing your business to the point that you can obtain venture capital. You can’t focus on these objectives if your time is monopolized by trivial details. Third, the quality of your work will decline. You cannot do everything yourself and expect to maintain high quality standards over the long run. You don’t have enough time or energy. Attempting to do so is a recipe for burnout. The fourth effect of being a control freak impacts those who report to you: your employees, vendors and contractors. Micromanaging their tasks and responsibilities shows them you have little faith in their skills and competence. That breeds mistrust and resentment, both of which damage your team’s morale. There’s considerable value in quelling your inner control freak and learning how to delegate tasks effectively. Following are several tips that will help you to accomplish both goals.

Action Steps

 1. Identify your reasons for wanting to maintain control. Do you doubt others in their ability to perform certain tasks? Do you fear that delegating tasks will cause others to think of you as nonessential to your organization? Are you a perfectionist (see Day 2 for more information) and want to ensure zero errors? The only way to curb your inner control freak is to determine why you feel the need to be in control of everything.

2. Separate “big picture” tasks from “operational” tasks. Every project is comprised of two types of to-do items: those that have long-range effects and those that have short-range effects. They rank differently in importance. For example, your job as a manager might be to see your team’s current project through to completion within the time and budgetary constraints established before the project began. That’s a long-range, or “big picture,” item. The day-to-day tasks, such as running reports and following up with vendors, should be delegated to your employees. Whether you’re a corporate manager, freelancer, small business owner or serial entrepreneur, it’s important to have that perspective to squelch the temptation to micromanage. 3. Determine how much an hour of your time is worth. Doing so will give you a barometer by which

to gauge whether the time you’re spending on a specific task would be better spent elsewhere. Your goal, whether you’re a manager or entrepreneur, is to spend your time where it will yield the greatest return. Calculating your hourly rate gives you an easy-to-use yardstick.

4. Track how you use your time throughout the workday. You may find that you’re spending an inordinate amount of time on tasks that should be delegated to others. Track your time for two weeks. That will smooth out inconsistencies that occur from one day to the next, and reveal trends in your time usage. You can use an online tool like Toggl.com (it’s free and integrates with your phone) or a pad of paper. The medium is unimportant. What matters is that you track your time and analyze how you use it.

5. Keep notes on people to whom you can delegate tasks. Effective delegation entails identifying employees or contractors you can trust to do a job well. If you’ve worked with certain people before, you should have a good idea regarding their skill sets and areas of competence. Your job is to delegate items to them according to their experience, expertise and talent. Don’t trust your memory. Keep notes you can refer to later when you need to outsource a task. Evernote.com is a good tool for this purpose.

 6. Explain the big picture to the person to whom you’re delegating a task. The tendency to micromanage usually stems from a lack of confidence in others. One way to develop that confidence is to convey to others how their efforts will contribute to the end goal. For example, rather than simply telling an employee to create a specific report, explain to the individual how the report will help the company save money. Rather than telling a web designer to build a website for your business, explain what you want the website to do in terms of branding and functionality.

7. Delegate one task today. Letting go of control is uncomfortable. It takes practice. The only way to develop this new habit is through repeated application. Start slowly by trusting a member of your team to handle a simple task you would otherwise handle yourself. It’s okay to monitor his or her progress. But give the individual enough autonomy to do the work for you.