The outcomes of group projects swing wildly. They have the potential to either bring out the best or the worst in people. In every group, there are people who ghost the entire team, people who wing it, and others who procrastinate until the very last minute. 

Then there's the infamous micromanager, who is unknowingly driving the team up the wall. If the following signs seem relatable, you might be a micromanager yourself. 

You behave like a helicopter parent

If you keep looking over your teammates' work and fixing even the smallest mistakes, you may be the micromanager of your group project, which is the teammate equivalent of a helicopter parent, not realising that the team needs freedom and room to make mistakes in order to grow and thrive.

You can not rest until your teammates have delivered

You anxiously refresh the shared document to see if your teammate has turned in their assignment yet. You keep sending pings to the group chat because you are worried that they forgot or are slacking off. Feeling stressed out about meeting a deadline is normal, but if you are constantly reminding your team to get their work done on time, you come across as a difficult micromanager. Trust that they will find a way to meet the deadline in their own time, and just politely remind them of it once.  

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To the groupmates who disappear in the middle of assignments

The concept of delegation is foreign to you 

You refuse to trust anyone else to do a good job because you have a certain vision, so you insist on doing everything yourself. Unless you are a superhero who multitasks with ease, you are a micromanager. If you do not delegate tasks, you will get burned out quickly. Challenges that play to your team's strengths may yield better results if you and your teammates are able to effectively communicate and collaborate. 

The "Only I'm Right" syndrome

Do you tend to brush off your teammates' suggestions without much consideration? Do you think your perspective is the only one that matters? That is a key sign of being a micromanager. It is great that you have faith in your own abilities, but remember to keep an open mind and value the feedback of those around you. Leverage the knowledge of the group to see your project soar.

Taking all the credit? Not a good look. 

If you need to be the hero of every story and the recipient of every accolade, you are the quintessential micromanager. Even if you feel like you were the driving force behind the project's success, everyone on the team deserves credit. Maybe you need to do some soul-searching and realise how important it is to show gratitude and appreciation to your team members. 

No one wants to be the micromanager in their group project, so it is important to be self-aware and recognise the signs. The key to a successful and memorable group project is striking a balance between taking on individual roles and trusting your team members. Remember to step back, self-evaluate, and make any necessary changes, which means it is time to delete the backup-backupfile.exe that you made all by yourself.

Joyeeta has been yelling a lot lately; pacify her at joyeeta.shouts@gmail.com