Nobody likes to be in control of someone else, especially at work. But, certain working professionals in leadership positions micro-manage their employees ruthlessly. This trait is despised in a corporate space, yet it's practiced to feel a sense of power & authority. A micromanager boss is one who excessively supervises everything.
At See & Recruit, we do not encourage such a practise and on the contrary give our employees independence to grow. We completely understand that every individual has a different working style. Still, we don’t promote micro-managing as it infuses anxiety, mistrust, and impacts productivity in the organization.
However, if you are dealing with a micro-manager boss, these tips can come to the rescue to deal with such a professional.
1.Learn To Earn The Trust: Trust & motivation are the most significant driving factors in a professional relationship; moving ahead without them is highly challenging. Demonstrate skills that help you to gain your boss’s trust. Try to establish a connection and share more about your work and what you’re doing. These regular updates will allow the senior to develop confidence in you.
2.Patience Is All You Need: When an employee is micro-managed by their boss, it gradually leads to accelerated frustration, demoralization, and a hostile work environment. This lack of trust and nagging hampers one’s mental health as well. This is exactly what you need to protect yourself from! Remember, patience is the key component that can help you survive. Indulge in practices that help you keep calm, like meditating, doing yoga, music therapy, etc.
3.Deliver At Par With Expectations: Avoid procrastination and never take your job for granted; prioritize your work and deliver on time. Ask your boss about their expectations of you so you don’t fall flat while showing results. In fact, putting forth relevant questions like key objectives, deal-breakers, and stipulated outcomes is a must. Demonstrate sincerity and cement your dedication with the quality of your work.
4.Understand Your Boss’s Perspective: Differences in Opinion and Perspective are common peeves, so if your perspective is not in synergy with your boss’s, it’s completely alright! Try to trace a middle ground where both views are respected and aligned. Use your senior’s micromanaging style to motivate yourself to work harder till a point. Be diplomatic when required, and empathize with them as per the situation.
5.Ensure Crisp & Effective Communication: Channels of communication should always be open to exchanging ideas & opinions. Keep conversations crisp and concise; try not to give your boss any reason to complain. In case you independently want to work on a project, ask directly by guiding their involvement in decision-making. Carry a positive attitude, talk with a smile, and avoid frowning even when you don’t like your boss.
6.Being Reliable & Responsible Matters: Schedule daily or weekly check-ins and manage time well; being punctual to work also counts massively. Giving frequent updates about new projects or ongoing progress can help alleviate micro-manager concerns regarding results. Doing so will make the micro-manager realize that you are self-sufficient and reliable thus, not required to be micro-managed at every level.
7.When In Dilemma Clear Doubts: Don’t be hesitant of confrontational conversations. Just be very respectful and honest while expressing yourself. When stuck somewhere, don’t go ahead with half knowledge; instead, clear your doubts first. Even though one would like to avoid conversations with the boss, helming one when necessary shouldn’t be a worry. Try to keep such discussions to the point.
8.Lead With Curiosity & Set Your Boundaries: Asking germane questions about the subject shows your interest and curiosity in the same . In addition, it also reflects that you are passionate about your job and like staying up-to-date with specific issues. Hence, your micromanaging boss won’t meddle with your business much after knowing that you imbibe ample knowledge of the subject.
9.Give Routine Feedback: Sharing regular feedback effectively impacts the professional bond between you and your boss. Just use your words carefully. Just tell them that as an experienced individual, you can manage yourself nicely and don’t need constant supervision, as it impacts your productivity and performance to some extent. Offer them reassurance that you’ll be able to handle everything
10.Avoid Taking Things To Heart: Even if you feel overly supervised, don’t take it to your heart. Instead, accede that it’s a trait of your boss, and they do that with every other employee, not just you. Usually, the birth of micro-manager as a leadership style is adopted by first-time insecure managers who like to keep everything under control. In other words, it generally has nothing to do with one’s performance.
