September 2026 Newsletter
Burning Questions from the C-Suite
From a CEO: How Do I Stop Micromanaging?
CEOS: If you’re micromanaging, you’re doing it for a reason. It’s not that you don’t realize micromanaging can cause problems. Of course you do. But the fact that you’re still doing it means something else is going on. Instead of just telling yourself to behave better, I recommend getting to the root cause of why you’re micromanaging. Then you can fix the real problem, not just the in-the-moment behavior.
In that spirit, below are the three most common reasons I see CEOs micromanage.
1. We don't have enough information to know if the right things are happening.
The solution is to ask the Right Hand to provide more information. Maybe you need more detail about the specific actions your Right Hand is taking. Or numerical facts rather than verbal updates. Or status reports that label the project as on track or off-track with target completion dates. Or a regular conversation. Or a monthly or weekly scorecard or spreadsheet. I don’t know what you need, but if you stop and think about it, you probably do. If better information would make you less inclined to step in and nose around yourself, it’s probably worth it to both of you to put a mechanism in place to consistently get you that info.
Caution: Don’t use the data to jump in and do your Right Hand’s job for them, unless it truly is a triage situation. Use the data to coach and support your RH. Ask them “What does this information tell you about the business? What action are you taking, and how can I help?” Your job is to teach them to solve problems not just get the current problem solved.
2. We don't think the Right Hand knows enough to do it without our help.
If the Right Hand genuinely doesn’t know how to do the thing, fix that problem. Swooping in to take over on a case-by-case basis doesn’t transfer knowledge from your head to theirs. Instead, stop and say “What do they need to do their job right?” Maybe it’s time to schedule a training meeting. Maybe they need to shadow you. Maybe you need a strategy sync. Maybe they need your help taking a few things off their plate so they can focus on this most important thing. Whatever will actually improve performance, work together to do that.
Because let's call it like it is. If you don't think the Right Hand can get it right without your help, either a) you're wrong, in which case more data will help you see that, or b) you're right, in which case there's a knowledge gap or performance problem the two of you need to solve. There isn't a third option.
3. Our own job is too undefined.
Often, CEOs swoop in because we don't have anything else meaningful to do. Or more accurately: everything else meaningful we think we should be doing is undefined and hard to put our hands around. Work on strategy. Do vision stuff. Think about the future. Blech. Where does a person even start when the to-do list looks like that? All that stuff is WAY less defined than jumping in and doing the many tactical tasks you can see on the RH’s plate.
You gave your Right Hand your job, and you haven't really figured out yet what your new job is.
The solution here is to write down your responsibilities and give yourself tangible to-dos related to those responsibilities. List projects, milestones, deadlines, tasks–specific actions you can take to move that next big cool thing forward. BTW if you need help organizing your own job, consider asking your RH to help you. They’re usually pretty good at that kind of stuff.
Famous Right Hands: Hamlet and Horatio, Hamlet
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet had a Right Hand named Horatio. Yeah, I know Hamlet is probably not the management book you want sitting on your nightstand (spoiler: everybody dies!). But there is a good lesson in it about the Right Hand extending the CEO’s field of view. Hamlet is the person with the position, vision, pressure, and—let’s be real—a fairly complicated operating environment. Horatio listens, challenges when needed, ferries information to and fro, and stays close enough to understand what Hamlet is actually trying to accomplish. When Hamlet needs someone he trusts to observe the king, he chooses Horatio. That’s invisible but very important Right Hand work: “See what I am unable to see from my vantage point, then report back”.
Hamlet trusts Horatio’s judgment and Horatio understands whose vision he is helping execute. A strong Right Hand can be counted on to further your agenda rather than building their own. And as such, they see what you can’t see. Hamlet’s situation obviously gets a little more stabby than most executive teams we work with but the underlying dynamic holds: the CEO does not need another pair of hands nearly as much as they need another set of eyes, eyes that are close enough to the action to see clearly, yet distinct enough from the CEO to see differently.
Links: Shakespeare’s Horatio: An analysis of Hamlet’s friend Horatio; Horatio Character Analysis; Horatio, Hamlet.
News
We recently celebrated the 3-year anniversary of Practical PhD with a wonderful team dinner (and a guest appearance by two of our friends from Stand-Up MRI of Arizona). We are so grateful for our Practical PhD staff and our wonderful clients and the many peer-group Chairs who make this work possible. Thank you!
The Book
Here’s the link to the print, audible, and Kindle versions of Winning Together: How CEOs and Right Hands Build a Relationship That Works. If you haven’t picked up your own copy yet, you’re missing out. Some CEOs are buying them for each of their direct reports or as holiday gifts for colleagues.
If you post a review on Amazon and tell us you did, we’ll send a free copy to a friend or coworker of your choice.
Can We Help?
Getting the Right Hand Right isn't something you have to do all by yourself.
Maybe you’re trying to figure out if you need a Right Hand or how to hire one. Maybe you are wanting to strengthen or assess existing leaders. Or perhaps you're preparing for transition and need a real succession path. All of that is easier–and more likely to work–with an expert to guide you.
If you’re looking for a partner in all things Right Hand, reply to this email or click here to schedule a conversation.