Micromanaging your team can severely harm your business. Not only does micromanaging negatively impact productivity, but it can also lower levels of job satisfaction and morale.

Fortunately, micromanagement can be changed as it is learned habit. Here are three ways to avoid micromanaging your team:

Learn how to delegate effectively
Effective delegation is key to avoiding micromanagement. Letting go of the need to control and manage tasks can be difficult, but it is worthwhile. Trusting your staff to handle tasks and take on new responsibilities helps to alleviate your workload. Delegating can also help you discover different, and potentially better, perspectives or ways of doing things.

Provide clear deadlines and expectations
Establish a clear framework for tasks – assign staff members to roles, set deadlines and outline all responsibilities and expectations from the beginning. Identify a clear chain of command, so everyone knows who to report to or go to if they have any questions or concerns.

Be supportive, not overbearing
Checking in with employees on tasks too frequently can make them feel like they are not trusted. Although it is important to check-in and give advice when needed, be careful not to over do it. Employees should feel a sense of ownership over their tasks and responsibilities; checking in too often can be disempowering.