“Micromanaging” can often be seen as a dirty word but sometimes there is a good reason to micromanage. Most employers recognise this but they still want to know that you recognise that micro managing has a time and place and that you are not the sort of manager who prefers to do everything themselves. Managers who try to do everything themselves are not really leading. They are going to be overworked, other employees are going to be unhappy, and less is going to get done. On occasion, you are going to have to prove to employers that you are willing to give up responsibility, no matter how hard that may be.
Behavioral Interview Question: Some managers have difficulty giving up control of a task or project even once they have delegated this to others. Give me an example of a time this has happened to you and tell me how you handled it.
The only wrong answer to this question is going to be one that focuses too much on your micromanagement. But then again, the question is asking you about your micromanagement. So how do you answer?
Focus on an answer that is understandable – for example, if you had difficulty giving up a task that you loved doing before you were promoted. Micromanagement is bad, but loving your job and simply not being used to someone else doing it for you is perfectly reasonable.
“Before I took over as SEO manager, I spent most of my time as a content writer. I had little problem giving up the link building, but I genuinely loved the content writing. Once i was promoted I was no longer required to write content and instead had to delegate it, I must say I definitely struggled to give it away. I would check in often to see how the writer was doing and sometimes write some myself.
The truth was though, my new writer was turning in work and it was excellent. Meanwhile I was getting backed up. That’s when I realized how important it was to trust. I would still edit the first two pages just to make sure she was on the right track, but if they were, I would comfortably move on and trust that she did a great job.”
It’s just a story. But it’s one that shows you learned. That’s all the interviewer really cares about. The best way to delegate is to be aware, and that’s what this type of answer shows.
See Also Related Posts:
How to Show You Can Delegate the Right Things to the Right People
How to Show you Can Delegate Tasks and Responsibilities
The Step by Step Guide to Delegating Effectively
How to Handle It When Delegation Becomes Disaster
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