If you’ve ever caught yourself checking in on your team “just to see how things are going,” you know that itch.
You tell yourself it’s harmless, a quick message, a small question, but really it’s anxiety. You’re worried that if you don’t check, something might fall apart.
That urge to hover? That’s the problem.
Micromanagement isn’t really a trust issue. It’s a system issue.
If you don’t have a structure that gives you visibility and gives your team clarity, your only option is to chase information manually. That’s where micromanagement lives.
At DuckWorks, we hit this wall as we grew. I was trying to stay involved, but it started feeling like I was spending more time chasing updates than leading people. What finally fixed it was implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), based on the book Traction by Gino Wickman.
EOS gave us the structure we were missing: a simple, repeatable system for how we meet, plan, and stay aligned.
Why Weekly Cadence Works
One of the core EOS rhythms is the Level 10 Meeting, a structured weekly check-in designed to keep teams aligned and accountable.
We now run weekly one-on-ones with each direct report, and weekly team meetings by department. That rhythm didn’t happen by accident — it came from EOS, and it’s worked because it strikes the right balance.
If you meet less than once a week, projects drift. If you meet more often, people don’t have time to make real progress between meetings.
A week gives just enough space for meaningful work and just enough frequency to course-correct before things get off track.
And there’s data to back it up: people who have consistent one-on-ones are almost three times more engaged than those who don’t.
But the structure of those meetings, not just the timing, is what kills micromanagement.
The Structure That Keeps You Out of the Weeds
Every weekly meeting follows the same flow, directly inspired by EOS, but adapted to fit our engineering and drafting teams.
- Status check. Every project or initiative is either on track or off track. No “kinda.” This takes two minutes and gives instant visibility.
- Review last week’s action items. What got done? What didn’t? Quick accountability, no side discussions yet.
- Drop issues down. Anything off track gets “dropped down” to the discussion list for later.
- Prioritize discussions. As a team, we decide which issues need attention first. It’s not my meeting, it’s ours.
- Problem-solve collaboratively. When we get to the discussion list, I ask, “What got in the way?” instead of “Why didn’t this get done?”
That simple shift, assuming obstacles instead of assigning blame, changes the tone completely. It builds safety and accountability at the same time.
This structure gives you all the information you’d normally go looking for between meetings — without interrupting anyone’s workflow.
The Scorecard That Builds Trust
Another EOS concept we use is the Scorecard: a short list of key metrics tracked weekly.
Each metric has an owner who updates it before the meeting. If a number’s off, it gets dropped to discussions just like anything else.
When we were building our onboarding system, our scorecard included metrics like “training videos created,” “modules completed,” and “new hires onboarded.” It turned progress into something visible and objective.
Here’s the key: anyone on the team can challenge an “on track” item, not just me. Peer accountability builds trust in a way that top-down management never will.
Structure doesn’t replace trust, it creates it.
Start Small and Build From There
If you feel like you’re constantly checking in or chasing updates, don’t overhaul everything at once.
Start with weekly one-on-ones. Add a structured weekly team meeting using this format.
That’s enough to change how your entire organization communicates.
When you have a system that surfaces what matters, you stop needing to hover. The information comes to you. The team knows what’s expected. Everyone’s moving in the same direction.
Structure doesn’t limit freedom, it creates it.
Micromanagement isn’t a personality flaw, it’s a systems problem.
We’ve built this structure at DuckWorks using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) from Traction, and it’s transformed how we lead, communicate, and grow.
When your system shows you what’s on track, you don’t need to micromanage. You can actually lead.
Jacob Edmond
CEO