For those who haven’t experienced what micromanaging is, it’s an exhausting, tiring, experience. Most, if not all micromanagers have one thing in common. They are domineering, or overbearing. You won’t be mistaking if you call them office dictators, because that’s who they are. No wonder people quit their jobs because of their bosses and not because of the companies they work for after all. A micromanager can be as difficult as hell. Rather than giving you a task and leaving you to do what you are hired for, they watch you closely, criticizing you up until the work is done and then, taking the credit for getting the job done.
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Micromanagers undermines your ability, thereby reducing your self-esteem. They kill your morale and demotivates you to the extent that you don’t trust in your capabilities. They ensure you are entirely dependent on them. So, when they are unavailable to micromanage, you are stuck. You are unable to deliver because you no longer trust in yourself but them.
Why do bosses micromanage?
Why do bosses micromanage their employees? Why do some companies employ the micromanaging strategy, even though there are a lot more disadvantages than there are advantages? Here are the possible answers.
Micromanagers love perfection. They find it difficult leaving a job or tasks to an employee to handle alone because they assume the employee won’t deliver the quality of work that he demands. The demand for high performance and absolute best from an employee is high and sometimes, this exhausts the employee totally.
The second reason is due to inexperience on the part of the micromanager. Maybe he is new to his job and need some sort ways to prove to his boss that he is the right man for the job. Because of he is new, he becomes insecure. And with insecurity, he will be pressured to micromanage you even if it’s to your detriment. He doesn’t care as far as he gets the job done and his boss or bosses are up there giving him kudos. His sight is on getting a promotion to maybe a managerial role at the end of two, three years. The fear of failure is the driving point for this reason.
Another reason is some people just love to exert some kind of control or power over their subordinates. A perfect example is a micromanager. Some micromanagers loves it when they boss people around to do this or do that.
The last reason, but not the least is trust issues. Some micromanagers just find it difficult to trust people to do their jobs effectively. When they give out a task to an employee, they start to worry about whether the employee will fail or whether such an employee is not up to the task. Hence, they micromanage.
Fortunately, you can still restore your sanity even if you work for an unreasonable micromanager (in a nutshell, most micromanagers are indeed unreasonable). Let’s look at ways to stop a micromanager from frustrating you into losing your mind.
Know their source of micromanaging
There may be some factors that triggers the micromanaging skill in someone. Basically, the fear of failure and the need for optimum performance are the major causes. Letting go of control is impossible for them. If that is the case, try to understand the root of their problems, rather than justifying their behaviour. Assure them that you have what it takes to help them achieve their goals. Most micromanagers hate surprises and hate when they are not in the loop. Ensure you update them on the assigned projects. Set timeline when you both will have check-in meetings. Then, come to some sort of an agreement for him to allow you do your job for the time being.
Build a trustworthy relationship with him
There is no such thing as when your boss, micromanager, or an employer trusts his employee to do the right thing. When a micromanager isn’t afraid or anxious about your capabilities, he will likely trust you. The best way to get your boss to trust you is by holding one-on-one meetings with him, giving him reasons not to panic about you, and trying to know more about him. Go out for lunches together once in a while. Building a relationship outside work can help too. Don’t rush him into trusting you. Sometimes, building trust takes time, so you have to allow it to grow naturally.
While you are building up trust with your micromanager, avoid making errors as much as you could. Don’t let your micromanager use an error or a type of mistake to label you. When you are constantly involved with making one mistake to the other, your micromanager will find it difficult to trust you. And when he doesn’t trust you, your life will be a living hell. So be vigilant about the way you type your emails, how you cross your Ts, how you send feedbacks, etc. If a micromanager doesn’t provide you a safe environment and trust you, how are you going to perform at your best?
Let a micromanager know when he is going overboard
Sometimes, a micromanager doesn’t know how his methods or volume of work affect you as an employee. You don’t have to go full blown at him. Pull him aside or go to his office, let him know politely how his methods affect you and that you can’t put in your best in a pressured environment. It’s not a crime to let him know how you feel. If he is okay with what you have said, that’s great!
Be careful about deadlines
It’s not always easy replying an email or doing a task that involves you meeting a deadline in a short time, and sometimes, you miss it. To cut some harsh comments from your micromanager, reach out in advance for an extension in case you are not able to meet a deadline. This will ensure that you protect yourself and the job at hand.
Anticipate his request
Sometimes, the reason behind most micromanagers disturbing you is they want to be sure you are doing fine. Instead of allowing them come to you, why not get ahead of what they want. For example, if your micromanager loves to check up on you every hour for updates, why not send him updates every 45 minutes? I’m sure he won’t bother to check up on you once he’s received an update from you. This will give you time to concentrate on the task at hand and lessen his anxiousness.
Exceed his expectations
Most micromanagers look for ways to set you up for failures so that they can come up with criticism and have excuse to continue to micromanage you. If a micromanager wants you to do a job in a particular way, exceed his expectations by giving him exactly what he has designed in his head. Wow them to the point that they can trust you. If he knows that you can over deliver, he will slowly leave you to do your job.
What if he is unwilling to change after doing these?
It’s simple, you just have to quit him and the job. Sometimes, situations can’t be remedied, so you will need to exit the door. However, if you continue to work under this condition, you are likely to lose your independence and confidence forever.
Falling into the hands of a micromanager is indeed a death sentence, but you can try to change them. You just need patience and understanding to work it out. Remember, if you can’t get your boss to reason with you, don’t be afraid to show yourself out the door.
