“Have you done the job?”, “Let me know the updates after every 15 minutes”, “Why don’t you skip your lunch and take up more work?”
Are you tired of listening to these irritating statements from your manager and thinking seriously to switch your job? If yes, then you are a sad victim of micromanagement.
Having an irritating micromanager can take its toll on your job. Finding those warning emails in your inbox and piles of to-do lists on your desk is the most terrible thing one would want to see in the morning. The situation becomes even pathetic when you cannot do anything about it and you just have to live with it because you do not want to lose your job.
However, working under an obsessive micromanager is both stressful and threatening to your job. It not only affects your performance but also keeps you in a constant pressure of delivering more which tend to have an effect on your health.
So, if you are fed up of the “do more” approach of your manager and if he is getting on your nerves, then it is about time that you do something about it with the following guidelines:
Gain His Trust
Some managers are not lucky enough to work with the best of talent. It is quite possible that your manager has a bad experience with his previous roles and he developed insecurities that stopped him from trusting people. Therefore, you need to earn his trust in the first place.
Rather than getting in conflict with your manager, it will be more helpful if you can win his trust with your “can do” approach. You need to listen to him carefully and give your best to meet his expectations. In addition, you need to be willing to take up new tasks and let him know that you can be a support.
Communicate With Your Micromanager
Are you the only victim of your micromanager? If yes, then it is better to communicate the matter with your manager. However, you need to avoid begging for favor and make it as professional as possible. Rather than asking for his support, you should show your willingness to change yourself. As a subordinate, you need to reinforce in him the belief that you are willing to change for good.
However, you should do it with a light-hearted mood and avoid getting carried away while voicing your concerns. Don’t let him feel that you are complaining his micromanaging behavior and rather extend your offer to make a contribution as a productive employee.
Act, Don’t React
Rather than reacting to obsessive micromanaging behavior of your manager, it would be more helpful if you take a proactive approach and eliminate possibilities of micromanagement. The best way you can do this is by keeping your manager informed about your tasks.
You need to update him about progress of your tasks so that he knows that you are doing well with your job. Keeping him in loop about your work progress will reduce his apprehensions and he will not find any reason to bother you for every nitty-gritty details.
Anticipate the Management Pattern
To make your co-ordination more productive with your manager, you need take note of management pattern of your micromanager. Does he have a habit of mailing you for your report in the morning or asking you for update on a project before you leave? Keeping note of his regular requirements will make you promptly complete tasks you otherwise take time to finish.
For example, you can send feedback of an ongoing project before you leave so that he gets your mail in the morning. Similarly, you can send him report of an ongoing project soon after you show up in the office so that he is not bothered to follow you up every now and then.
Dealing with micromanager can be difficult if you take a reactive approach. To make it less troublesome an ordeal, you need to pursue a proactive attitude and tackle it like a true professional. The above-mentioned 4 tips will help you do this with success.
