The Leadership Sin Equally Bad as Micromanagement
I remember early in my career thinking the worst management sin was micromanagement. I promised myself I’d never be that boss — the one who hovered over people’s shoulders, second-guessed decisions, and slowed everything down.
I worked really hard to be the opposite. I prided myself on total delegation and trust. I gave people ownership, space, and freedom to run.
What’s strange is how well it worked with some people. And what a disaster it was with others.
It turns out, there’s a leadership sin that is equally as bad as micromanagement, and you can easily fall into it by treating two different people exactly the same way.
Allow me to explain.
Most leaders have a natural bias in their management style. Some are “hands on and supportive” by their nature. Others default to “total delegation and trust.”
The eye-opening truth is that your natural bias should not be the determining factor for your management. Instead, you need to err to one side or the other based on each individual employee’s task-relevant maturity.
The concept is deceptively simple: task-relevant maturity measures someone’s capability and confidence to perform a specific task. It’s not about title or tenure. A Senior Vice President that you hire from outside your organization might arrive with high maturity for strategic planning, and low maturity for how to give feedback to their employees.
Instead of trying to mold the person you are leading to your management style bias, the better approach is to adapt your management style to their task-relevant maturity.
When you give total delegation and trust to someone with high task-relevant maturity, it’s incredibly supportive. They feel empowered, respected, and motivated. You’re saying, “I trust you to own this,” and they rise to the challenge.
On the flip side, when you give hands-on support to someone with low task-relevant maturity, you’re doing them a huge favor. You’re coaching them through the turns, helping them learn, and building their confidence.
But flip it, and you’re in trouble.
Give hands-on support to someone with high task-relevant maturity, and that’s textbook micromanagement — you’re slowing them down and suffocating their initiative.
Give total delegation and trust to someone with low task-relevant maturity, and that’s the equally bad leadership sin of abdication. They feel abandoned. You’ve given them the keys to the car, but they don’t yet know how to drive.
The bottom line: there’s no universally right management style for you. You have to adapt to your people, and the work you’re asking them to do. The only “right” style is the one that fits the person and the moment.
So next time you’re not sure whether to dive in or step back, don’t overthink it. Just ask yourself: “What is this person’s task-relevant maturity?”
Your answer will tell you whether to coach, collaborate, or simply get out of the way.
