How to Deal With Micromanaging Boss

2 years ago

Micromanage boss. Everyone has had at least one at some point in their career. They are the second guessers of every decision you make, the helicopters flying over you every step of the way, the control freaks who want to know every single thing you do, the ruthless dictators who are willing to give you details, detailed instructions on how to do the own work. I'm a special kind - and probably the worst - of bad bosses.

What Is Micromanagement?

Micromanagement often refers to controlling a task or project down to the most mundane details, often resulting in hampered progress and stunted productivity. The practice of micromanagement also often ignores larger, more impactful policies and strategies in favor of obsessing over smaller issues – which can often be resolved without managerial intervention.

As a manager, manager, or boss, for example.

The management of companies done in this way ends up styling the decision-making process and makes a person responsible for giving the “final word”, regardless of the business sector.

How Do Micromanagers Behave?

Micromanagers unnecessarily and unnecessarily complicate and prolong processes, while frustrating co-workers and subordinates because of their over-management, over-scrutiny, and failure to step back and trust their peers more. Especially in today's complex operations and workplaces, the boss who constantly changes subordinates' decisions and creates mountains of mill mounds is more than just a nuisance – they cost the company money and productivity. Not to mention they're horrible for general morale. One could even risk saying that tolerating micromanagement could run the risk of the company failing due to high employee turnover, lack of talent retention, low productivity, low creativity, and the like.

Despite the fact that many today generally disapprove of the practice of micromanagement, many managers are still blamed for it, and many organizational decision-makers often neglect correction

How to Identify Micromanagers?

It is not difficult to identify a leader who practices this mismanagement in the company. There are many “symptoms” capable of pointing to micromanagement being carried out.

They put fingers on other people's tasks – in the same vein, micromanagement also tends to get out of assigned tasks. Many micromanagers interfere in the way other processes and tasks (assigned to other people) are carried out. This is also often done without consulting the team or person to whom the tasks were originally assigned, which results in unnecessary conflicts that can severely delay production or worse, hamper progress to a shrill halt.

They care too much about the little things – micromanagement sees things too small and obsesses over the details on an unhealthy level. This detracts from the overall objective of the project or task. For example, a magazine editor who manages all aspects of production may well cause the publication to miss its publication schedule; in addition, constantly changing details can result in a departure from editorial layout standards or an agreed theme or direction.

He ignores the value of teammates and subordinates – the constant need to be the only approving entity devalues ​​the capabilities and skills of peers and even those of micro-managers subordinates. Most of the time, micromanagers do not take into account the experience or validity of the contribution of a subordinate or peers and instead rely only on their own judgment.

Some features are more common. Generally, this leader:

• Want to be copied in every email your team sends to each other;
• Does not give autonomy to your team and every decision must go through it;
• Prohibits teams from different areas to dialogue with each other, preventing the participation of joint projects;
• Any activity must be monitored by him, however routine it may be;
• Initiatives are held back because he wants to know about all of them, even though it does not require high and risky investments.

Remember, not all micromanagers know they are to blame. For many, this happens naturally, and many still do it unconsciously. Micromanagement can, and in many cases do fall into a compulsive behavioral disorder, not unlike an addiction. Micromanagers are usually the last to realize that they are, in fact, micromanagers.

Disadvantages of Micromanagement

It would be interesting to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of micromanagement as a form of business management.

However, with the flexibility and dynamism of companies that are growing and standing out these days, it is difficult to find an advantage in adopting micromanagement in your business.

Therefore, among the disadvantages of micromanagement, we can highlight:

• Decisions plastered in the function of a “ boss ” or who makes the decisions, in general;
• Business employees without autonomy and proactivity;
• Bad relationship and mistrust between manager and employees;
• Limitation of creativity and cross-sector collaboration;
• The manager is seen as a boss, not a leader;
• Management system causes stress in the work environment.

Therefore, seeing these situations within your work environment are signs of micromanagement.

How to deal with micromanagement in the workplace?

It's hard to stay productive, motivated and engaged when it's once micromanaged. It is important that all parties involved have an action plan for dealing with micromanagement in the workplace. Preventing and eliminating micromanagement in the workplace can keep employees happy, motivated, and creative.

How to Deal With a Leading Micro-Manager?

You are probably being deprived of your professional development and are not making the progress in your career that you could make if you had more independence at work.

The good news is that there are a few actions you can take to improve your situation:

• Help your boss delegate to you more effectively by asking him to provide you with all the necessary information and languishing the intermediate review points along the way;
• Volunteer to work on projects where you are confident you will succeed. This will begin to increase his confidence in you and your delegation skills;
• Be sure to report progress to your boss regularly. This will discourage you from fetching information just because it has had no update;
• Focus on helping your boss change one micromanagement habit at a time. Remember that he is human and can make mistakes!