It seems that there are at least one of these in every corporate environment. The micromanaging boss tends to excel at interfering with project flow by being in every aspect of a project delegated to another. Dealing with this type of manager can be exhausting, prevent productivity, and lead to a toxic work environment that will drive best workers away. But there are ways to manage, with a little strategy and 4 key tactics.
1. Communication
The micro-managing boss tends to be apprehensive about trusting others with projects they have responsibility for. They loathe surprises that may weigh negatively on their reputation. This is where you can help put their mind at ease. Communicate with them, ask for their assistance, to some degree, whether or not you actually need it. In this way, you convey that you can be trusted to inquire and seek assistance should the need be. It also helps to anticipate their needs so you can be in better control of your time and productivity. In this way, you can get to your micromanaging boss before any unwarranted intrusions on your progress interrupt productivity.
2. Keep Impeccable Notes
Should your boss have any questions about the project at hand or where you are in the process, you can keep your boss busy with a hard-copy account of what you’ve accomplished. This also comes in handy should your micro-managing boss evolve into a tyrant and you need to confer with higher ups to get relief. In this same vein, you should keep notes of all negative interactions, the days and times they occurred, what transpired and the names of any witnesses to events.
3. Assert and respect yourself
Be open to the possibility that no amount of communication or note taking is going to matter, should your micromanaging boss be unresponsive. This has no bearing on you or your effectiveness, provided you’ve been doing everything you ought, up to this point. This is where you need to seriously consider moving to another department or changing employers if a solution isn’t forthcoming.
4. Learn to say no
Unless it is an integral part of your job, and won’t have an adverse effect on your position or employment status with the company you work for, learn to say no to some projects. Why should you have to take an assignment working under a tyrant? Delegate, encourage this micromanaging boss to work with someone else and don’t deal with them, period.
A micro managing boss can be a challenge. Learning to communicate and anticipate their needs or concerns is important. Understanding that your micromanaging boss just wants to be assured that said project is being completed timely and correctly is key. Your boss’s insistence of inclusion in all aspects of a project, while having difficulty delegating to others, are indicative of this. So be sure to assert yourself by not being partisan to an unproductive and overly stressful scenario. Understand the drive behind the management style, and know when it’s time to consider employment elsewhere.
