How to Take Control of a Micromanagement Boss

When you get a good job, you feel mature and confident. When your boss turns out to be one of those who constantly monitor you and monitor your work, you can easily feel like a child.

It’s frustrating and counterproductive to detail every moment of your day instead of being alone to do a good job. Here’s how to deal with a micromanagement boss.

Calmly discuss the situation with your boss.

If you feel like your boss is a kind – if not neurotic – person who does not act out of hostile motives, you should start by trying to speak out. Set aside some time on their calendar for one-on-one meetings and make sure you are assertive but polite. Remember how you learned to express your feelings in elementary school: “I feel __________ when you are __________ because I think that means __________.”

Putting it into practice, it might look like, “I feel overwhelmed when you follow me so closely, because I think that means you don’t trust me to do my job well.”

In the follow-up chat, remind them that you will show them your results through your output, not minute-by-minute updates on what you are doing, how you are doing it, and what you have accomplished that day. Ask your boss if it is possible that they will leave you on your own for a week and only study your work after it is completed. Tell them that you’d be happy to sit there for periodic checkups, but having to account for every detail of your day actually hinders your productivity.

Show, don’t tell

Roger Stephens, a sales rep in New York, knows all about being a boss who is overly interested in every detail of what he does. This boss is so interested, he said, that he declined to give his real name here. (The only thing worse than a bad work environment is no work environment, so let’s not fire Stevens for trying to help you.)

His advice to anyone who gets into a similar situation is simple: you should show your boss, not tell him that you can be left alone.

“I just don’t pay attention to them, do my job to the best of my ability and keep my head down. Literally, I’m just getting through the day, ”he said. “As for the advice, that’s all. Do your job. Sit down and come out. “

Escalate the problem if necessary

If you have already achieved or exceeded your work goals and talked to the manager in question, but you are still being pursued, it is high time to launch him into the chain, as we say in corporate America. Your boss has a boss, and that larger boss may be inclined to intervene if a lower-level boss creates a dire situation for employees.

Again, your boss’s anxious style can be a reflection of the pressure he’s receiving from above, so feel the vibe as you go. If the bigger boss seems to be just as small a manager and energetic, this may not work.

However, if they seem a little calmer, make sure you go to the meeting prepared. Keep sample emails, Slacks, or personal interactions with your bossy boss, as well as records of the work that was mentioned in those messages. Again, show your supervisor that you are productive alone and don’t need extra shots or babysitting.

“If it gets to the point where you can’t stand it anymore, then you talk to someone in a higher position and explain to them how you feel,” Stevens said. “You also need to write everything down. If a task is sent to you and you have already completed it, write it down. If they ask you a question about this, write it down. When everyone finally sits down, you will have all the evidence that you have been molested. “

Remember this is probably not really about you.

If you’re not really doing your job badly – and if so, get close! – it has more to do with your boss than you. They are probably nervous that they are not an effective leader or that they cannot achieve results, so they project this insecurity.

Rest assured that if you achieve your goals and accomplish your goals, you are doing great. Either way, there is more to you than your job title, so don’t let these nagging affect your self-esteem.

“A micromanager is a manager who either doesn’t believe in his team or is not very good at managing, so they follow the rules,” said Stevens, who still sympathized with what this should mean for the boss in relation to the person. level: “This is understandable, because everyone has to play their part.”

However, he added, the micromanagement boss “doesn’t believe in himself or in the way they are managing,” so you need to maintain a good mood, document everything, and escalate the problem until someone listens. If no one is listening, here are some tips on how to look for a new job without your current boss finding out .