Three Ways to Handle Your Micromanagement

Your most important relationship at work is your relationship with your boss, and it is these relationships that can make or break your job satisfaction, especially in organizations with established hierarchies where the boss is responsible for the work of others. While the quality of your work certainly matters, it is the actions and behavior of leaders that set the tone for your relationship.

However, the way you arrive at work and interact with (or react to) your boss also affects your work experience. Building a skill set that includes flexibility to work with different leadership styles will set you on the path to career success, and flexibility and adaptability are especially important when your boss is a micromanager. It takes a lot more skill and professionalism than just working for a boss who gives you autonomy, creativity, and support.

Micromanagers are everywhere. If you haven’t already, you will probably work for one of them at some point in your career. Defining strategies and methods to work with them more effectively will serve you well.

Accept that micromanaging is a style, not a personal flaw.

The way a manager leads his team is called style, and depending on the book or article, you can find up to 15 documented leadership styles. One is always described as directive and authoritarian. These managers leave little room for employees to make their own decisions, monitor work from close range and demand detailed progress reports, and trust that the manager has all the answers. This is micromanagement. Right or wrong, this is a legitimate leadership style and many leaders get promoted using it, which validates the style and makes it one that is still in use all the time. Is it the best way to achieve results and improve well-being in the workplace? Not at all. But there is also nothing wrong with hiring.

This style is the culmination of the experience, values, knowledge, skills, and environment (including the level of stress) in which you work. So when your boss sends out weekly email reminders before a deadline or inserts questions about trivial details into a line of email, he’s changing his style. It’s not a personality flaw, nor are they necessarily a bad manager or a bad person.

Recognizing that your boss is doing the best they can with the experience, values, skills, and knowledge they have in this environment can keep your frustration and frustration at bay. Take a step back and say to yourself: “This is their style, they are not bad people.” Accepting this will help you keep a clear head and be efficient and productive throughout the day.

Ask your boss what suits him and what doesn’t.

Understanding your manager’s style is one of the best ways to adapt to it. At the same time, many bosses are terrible at setting expectations and communicating their preferences, so if you work for someone who has these tendencies, talk about it. This will inform you on how to work effectively with them. Here are some questions to consider:

• When is your boss at his best: morning, afternoon, or evening?
• What stresses, annoys, motivates and inspires them?
• What pressure are they under? What influence does their boss or senior management have?
• How do they like to receive information? Points or paragraphs?
• Are they process-focused and want to know all the steps taken, or are they outcome-focused and prefer not to know the details?

If you are uncomfortable arranging a meeting to discuss these issues, ask your colleagues for advice. Other team members may already know the answers. Or work through questions when the opportunity arises – if the boss talks about the pressure they’re under and what it’s like to work with superiors above them, you can ask how best to meet their expectations without sounding intrusive.

Correct Your Behavior If You Encourage Micromanagement

In most cases, micromanaging is not about you or whether your boss trusts you. This is what your boss needs to feel successful. They may believe that if they know all the details, they will become a better manager. This is wrong, but again, it’s usually not about trust. Also, if they’ve led their entire career this way, got promoted, and succeeded, their style won’t change. As your irritation rises, remind yourself, “It’s not about me. It’s what they think they need to feel successful.”

But what if it’s about you? Your boss assigned you a job, but you did it late or didn’t do it at all? Are you slow to respond to their emails? Does your boss ask you to do something one way and you do it another? Are you refusing to inform your boss? Do you gossip or speak badly about your boss to others? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be encouraging micromanagement, and this may indeed be about trust. Fix it.

Many people find that as they begin to adjust to the micromanager’s expectations and preferences, the leash begins to loosen. The micromanager steps back a little. These are the cases when it comes to trust, which means that restoring it is your next step.

Working for micromanagers is quite common. This usually results in a bad experience, but there are ways to mitigate it and make it more enjoyable. This set of skills will come in handy in situations where there are aspects of your job that you enjoy and don’t want to leave. But if these tips aren’t acceptable and working with your micromanager puts your well-being at risk, it might be time to go and find another boss to work with.