One of the hardest habits to break when you manageemployees is the practice of micromanaging. It's the supervisor'sjob to keep everyone in line and make sure the business isoperating smoothly, but excessive interference with team members'every move may prove detrimental to the organization's success.

So, how does a supervisor who errs on the side of micromanaginglet go of being a “control freak”? How do you build an environmentin which you feel comfortable taking a step back, giving your teamsome breathing room, and trusting your employees to make the rightdecisions?

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1. Create a priority list.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the main reasonsupervisors micromanage is because their priorities are notclear-cut. While micromanagers involve themselves in everythingthat happens within their domain, the better managers are those whoknow how to—and are willing to—train other people and then delegateresponsibilities.

Excellent managers make a determination of which tasks arecrucial for them to be involved in and which tasks they can handoff to others. A supervisor who spreads himself too thin won't bevaluable to the team and might even impede the company's progress.When one person tries to handle too many disparate tasks on hisown, something important is bound to slip through the cracks.

Remember that real leadership is not about doing everythingyourself; it is about seeing the strengths of your team members andutilizing them to meet the goals of the group.

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2. Take advantage of management software.

A manager who wants to keep tabs on the progress of projects canuse software to monitor the status of different initiatives. Thereare a number of different applications available that enablesupervisors to maintain visibility into the workflow—and a feelingof control—without making employees feel like they are hovering.Managers can access a clear picture of progress, see what issuesthere might be, and oversee workers' activities without asking forfrequent updates.

Another plus of such a system is that the supervisor can use itto hold employees accountable for their progress. Employees canmonitor their own performance on the project, seeing a clearpicture of progress at any given moment.

Many of these types of applications are available online. Someoffer free trial versions. If you're working on curbingmicromanagement tendencies, you might try a trial version first.Then, if you deem it suitable for your company, you can eventuallyopt to purchase the full version.

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3. Encourage open communication with yourteam.

One of the major reasons why managers begin to micromanage isthat they don't have open lines of communication with theiremployees.

In my experience as both an employer and an employee, successfulmanagement is all about building rapport and a relationship. Socialinteractions with employees outside necessary discussions, such asthose around job requirements and performance, can nurture trustand camaraderie. This, in turn, encourages employees to feel thatthey can openly share their ideas, opinions, and feedback withoutfear of being reprimanded or fired.

Such open communication strengthens the company by fostering thefree flow of ideas. It also reduces the likelihood that thesupervisor will micromanage her team. The same trust that enablesemployees to speak their minds more openly also helps the managerfeel more confident in delegating.

Trust enables you to delegate entire projects without raisingyour blood pressure because you know team members will do theirutmost with the tasks they are assigned. At the same time, youremployees feel seen, valued, and comfortable asking questions—whichmeans that they will go the extra mile in ensuring the quality oftheir work, and that you will know about any issues or concernsthey may have about their roles or tasks.

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4. Give employees a common vision to worktoward.

Most companies have a vision statement, and most projects havespecified objectives or goals they are designed to achieve. For aparticular project, the objective may be to submit a specific listof requirements to a client within a specific timeframe. This meansthat the entire team will focus their work toward making sure thatall requirements are fulfilled before the deadline.

If you clearly lay out your expectations well in advance of anydeadline, and remain open to questions and adjustments throughoutthe project, your team is far less likely to disappoint you.Hovering and constantly checking up on them may cause them to losetheir focus, question their decisions, and think less clearly.

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5. Simplify your instructions.

One of the major reasons managers become micromanagers isbecause they are not good at giving direction. They have a clearvision in their head, yet when they come to articulate that visionand break it down into parts, they don't do so clearly. If trustand openness aren't values in your corporate culture, workers maynot feel comfortable asking questions. It's a vicious cycle,because if employees try to understand a project's guidelineswithout asking for clarification, they will make mistakes, whichwill cause the manager to distrust them and make him hesitant todelegate in the future. This is counterproductive but occurs alltoo often.

According to Inc., managers need to be able to simplify theinstructions they give their employees. When delegating tasks, theyneed to provide their team members with only the essentialinformation. When employees are clear about what they need to getdone, and the manager has entrusted the “how” to the employees,they will be able to take on tasks much more easily.

6. Consider why you tend to micromanage.

As with any unhealthy behavior, micromanaging often comes downto the manager's own issues. The need for controlmight stem from insecurities, from a fear of being held accountableif employees do not perform, or from a fear of relinquishingcontrol. It might also come down to a feeling that only you knowhow a certain task should be done—and, therefore, that performingthe task alone will be quicker and more efficient than delegatingor even sharing responsibility.

Whatever the reason you feel more comfortable micromanaging,remember that even if micromanaging seems to be helping yourprojects succeed in the short term, those initiatives would be evenmore successful if they were handled by a competent and focusedteam. You're handicapping your projects if you're not putting youremployees' talents and strengths to work.

Moreover, micromanaging places a tremendous amount of pressureon the manager, unnecessarily. We are all human, and juggling anentire project solo is bound to result in something slippingthrough the cracks. Micromanaging also teaches employees unhealthywork habits, and it can create a hostile workplace environment. Itrobs employees of their independence and gives them the impressionthat you don't trust them to do their job well.

If you feel that you might be micromanaging, awareness is alwaysthe first step in finding a solution.

Once you're aware of the problem, my advice is to immediatelystart taking small steps to break the cycle. You could start withsomething as simple as saying good morning to your employees whenyou enter the office, creating an office box for questions andcomments, or taking an hour of company time to eat a meal withemployees.

Breaking the habit of micromanaging will improve yourproject's—and your company's—chances of success over the longterm.

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Jim Hoffer has more than 35 years' experiencein enterprise finance. Since 2012, he has been directing the HofferFinancial Consulting Firm, which specializes in financial strategy,cash management, accounting, strategic planning, and tacticalsupport. Hoffer has an MBA from Warrington College of Business andhas held CFO and finance manager positions in several global publicand private organizations. You can find him on Twitter at@jimhoffer85.