Out with Micromanaging and In with Accountability

Read time: 1 minute and 2 seconds

​It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone hates micromanaging!

If someone was micromanaging you, you might feel like they're looking over your shoulder, like they don't trust you to do your job. 

And let's face it, the hourly check-in emails and daily progress calls only serve to eat into your productivity. 

If you're the one micromanaging, you'll likely be frustrated that you're wasting time chasing someone else when you'd rather be doing something more productive. 

In this way, micromanaging is un-helpful, un-productive and stifles creativity and morale. 
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So, what can you do instead?

​Encourage accountability!

When you take accountability for your work, you also take ownership and initiative.

An accountable team member will take responsibility for the outcomes of their tasks and will ultimately do what is best for the business. 

Encouraging accountability is a cinch if you set clear goals and targets. 

Team management software, like Asana and Trello, can help keep your team accountable and responsible for their own work by allowing you to; set due dates, communicate on a particular task/project (without diverting to email), and reward team-members with immediate feedback.

If you're working alone and want to keep yourself accountable, to improve your productivity, there are lots of ways to do it. 

You could try sharing your weekly targets on LinkedIn or Facebook and encourage others to share theirs. Then check-in at the end of the week and share how you fared. 

Even recording your short-falls will encourage you to try a little harder next time. 
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Now tell me, do you take accountability for your work?