How To Deal With A Micromanager?

The inability of micromanagers to delegate work to other team members is another detrimental leadership quality. They don't believe you will complete the assignment correctly. This doesn't help foster a culture of trust at work or give employees a sense of worth as teammates.

Even though they may not agree, if your supervisor consistently and harshly criticizes your working methods, this is a symptom that you are being micromanaged. Sometimes it's not obvious; micromanagers can mean well. Many micromanagers really believe they are looking out for your and the company's best interests.

But for whatever reason, they don't have faith in you.

Micromanagers can't or won't relinquish control and let you take responsibility for your work. It's possible that they have unreasonable standards. Or you can unintentionally be giving them grounds to question your skills.

Starting an uncomfortable conversation by bringing up your worries about micromanagement may be necessary. However, resolving this typical leadership difficulty will result in a more resilient workplace culture.

Tips On How To Deal With A Micromanager

Micromanagement can cause team friction and low morale if it is not handled. Additionally, it could provide an unpleasant work environment.

It's wise to take some time to consider your work before responding to your management. Although it doesn't always follow that your supervisor is correct, you should think about whether you have been skipping deadlines, producing mediocre work, or failing to communicate.

A more fruitful conversation will result from self-awareness and willingness to accept responsibility for any errors. The following tips can help you deal with a micromanager without risking your working relationship:

Gain their trust

Micromanagers need to be persuaded that they made the right choice. Therefore, you will need to accomplish the task their way for a while to gain their trust.

This could entail keeping your management constantly informed about your workload through status updates, check-ins, and proactive communication. Or it can entail demonstrating your progress by displaying your work at various stages. In other words, the objective is to convince your management that you are in control of the situation before they request a review of your work.

Over time, maybe this gives your manager some reassurance that you have things under control and don't need any more babysitting.

Offer alternatives

When dealing with a boss that is resistant to change, diplomacy is a useful strategy. Starting off by demanding total control over your job is usually not a good idea. Instead, provide workable alternatives using the examples of micromanagement you've supplied.

For instance, request a weekly stand-up meeting rather than a daily check-in. Describe how your recommendations can boost productivity. You'll need to demonstrate them as well because actions speak louder than words.

Make them aware

Make them conscious of their propensity towards micromanagement. Communicate in an open and polite manner. Some of them might not be aware that they are being intrusive.

Use more specific language and examples rather than accusing them of "micromanaging" in the first place. Nobody likes to be referred to as a micromanager, not even one!

Inform your manager politely that their excessive micromanagement is unwarranted. Describe how you're attempting to learn new skills and how their constant checking in makes you feel as though you're doing something wrong or that they don't trust you. Recognize that while they may be attempting to assist, it is difficult for you to take ownership of your work and improve it.

Show that you can manage yourself

Sometimes proving to your manager that you can manage yourself is the best approach to alter their management style. Make sure you make good use of any additional flexibility you receive. Make sure to finish your assignment on schedule and at the appropriate degree of quality.

Micromanagers ultimately desire to be in charge. They may do this occasionally if they believe that the circumstance, the setting, or the business are out of their control. By doing what you can to demonstrate that the problem is under control without their needing to ask for it, you can lessen their management style.

It's referred to as managing up. To do that, you must adapt to your boss's tastes and working style. If you do it correctly, you can find that you use less micromanagement. It isn't enough to do your obligations; you also need to ensure that your management and the others who depend on you are aware of your reliability.

Before they ask for updates, provide it to them. Let them know in your routine emails what you intend to do throughout the following period. Let them know all you accomplished after the project is over.

Final Thoughts

The most frequent motivations for micromanagement are insecurity, a lack of trust, and fear. None of these problems can be fixed in a single day. But they can be lessened through open, honest conversation.
Keep your conversations with your micromanaging supervisor upbeat and honest. Be open with them, try to comprehend them, and let them know what you think.