We all know micromanagers whose control makes staff feel like their productivity, creativity and desire for responsibility are being strangled.

But the other way micromanaging kills is when a competent manager is suffocated by too many employees who do need micromanaging to be productive.

For example, Ted managed Jane for years. She was hardworking and loyal but productive only when she followed rigid procedures and repeated the same tasks day after day. If the work required new skills or if it required Jane to make decisions, she was lost. Before she could be productive, Ted had to take her through the new steps repeatedly and check her work at each step.

In the past, Jane's reliability, dedication and attention to detail had been worth Ted's effort. He could have micromanaged her successfully until retirement.

But things changed. Roles and responsibilities became more flexible, so she needed to perform new tasks frequently. In addition, more was being demanded of Ted. He no longer had time to continue micromanaging Jane. Ted knew that if he abandoned her to struggle on her own, she'd be crushed and would fail. But if he took time to micromanage her, he'd become overwhelmed and fail.

What could Ted do? Since Jane was a hardworking, dedicated, longtime employee, Ted wouldn't simply let her fail and then turn her out. Instead, he tried to find a role on his team that Jane could succeed at - something requiring the repetitive tasks she thrived doing.

Since he couldn't find such a role on his team, he cast a wider net. Somewhere in the company was a role she could thrive at with no loss of pay or prestige.

Of course, Ted was honest with the new manager he found for Jane, and both of them took time to pave the way for her transition.

As another example, Sandra became the new manager of an existing team and had a similar problem. The previous manager was a micromanager who suppressed his staff and made as many of their tasks as routine and repetitive as he could.

Sandra set a new tone by talking with her whole team, specifying the new roles she expected them to play. She detailed her guidelines and a step-by-step series of decisions she expected them to learn how to make on their own. Then, in one-to-one meetings, she spelled out the path she wanted with each individual.

At first, she had to be on top of each person as they moved along the path to independence and responsibility. When Sandra thought of this process as "weaning," she stayed on the right track. Of course, some people jumped the gun and tried to be independent right away without knowing the appropriate course to take. Sandra gently reined them in in order to keep encouraging their growing responsibility and flexibility.

Of course, some people were Janes. They had been comfortable under the previous micromanager and tried to manipulate Sandra into assuming that role. Sandra resisted their pressure and, like Ted, found appropriate roles for them. It took time, but Jane found momentum increased as she encouraged people who wanted to leave and guided those who wanted to stay.

And then there are the sneaky slackers.

The worst of these do just enough to get by, but they require you to be on top of them all the time in order to maintain any continuity of effort. They're like teenagers who make a huge mess when they take out the trash, hoping you'll get so frustrated, you'll do the job yourself. As soon as you look the other way, they're back on the couch doing nothing. These slackers can really suck you dry.

If you have the time or if they have a unique talent, you can consider taking them on as a micromanaging project. In order to keep them productive, you'll have to catch each backslide immediately and come down hard on them. Usually, they'll respond with excuses and increased effort, but they'll backslide again within weeks.

With slackers, when is enough, enough? Begin by recognizing your priorities and listening to your emotions. It's time to move slackers somewhere else when:

• Micromanaging someone keeps you from delivering your priorities.

• You spend more than 25 percent of your work time managing them.

• You're so frustrated and angry, you think of ways to torture them.

• You take your feelings about them home, where you're frustrated and grumpy, complaining and whining, and have no energy - or when your significant other starts complaining about your bad moods.

Some people do need micromanagement, and it can be worth your time and effort. But don't let your good heart, conflict avoidance or a manipulative slacker turn you into a micromanager. The price will be your career and personal life. People who are inclined to be micromanagers usually don't know when it's time to say no.

Ben Leichtling, a Denver-based speaker, consultant and leadership adviser, can be reached at 303-458-6616 or ben@leichtlingassoc.com.