Surviving Micro Managers - By: Kenneth J. Skiba

If you are reviewing this article, my guess is you are being Micro Managed. Most of us will have had the opportunity to work with a micro manager. Under this type of leadership, one feels as though they cannot catch up. It is hard to step back, take a breath, analyze your situation, and create than implement a strategy. Given this demanding environment, it is best to do just that!

Micro managers like to control their destiny and there is a good chance they delegated to direct reports in the past and got burned, so in their minds, they learned from their experience. The best way to deal with a micro manager is to TRY and understand them, be organized, and be prepared.

Enclosed is a list of objectives to help you out:

Objective 1> Find out what your manager’s goals are. They may have a hidden agenda, so seek to understand what motivates and drives them.

Solution> This person plays a role in controlling your destiny so help them reach their goals. They will either eventually move on, or your successes will not be able to be hidden by them.

Objective 2> Set up a structured process for communication where you deliver consistent updates in writing, and email is an obvious choice.

Solution> This will create the perception and reality that you are on top of and moving forward on the project. This process will relieve stress and confrontation for the Micro Manager.

Objective 3>Clarify and Understand what is expected of you in email form. Many times gray areas occur with verbal communication whether it is in person or via telephone conversations or voice mail.

Solution> Follow up in writing. Best to send emails for clarification and documentation, these messages should be routine on a daily, weekly and monthly report basis based on your agreed process as mentioned earlier.

Objective 4> Verify and Re-Verify prioritization. At times, micro managers react to their own boss’s reactions so priorities could change. We forget, the Micro Manager could be reacting to their own environment of being micro managed.

Solution> As a reminder, send a follow-up email with a summary to clarify if agreements are made verbally as projects can be fluid and change as the outcomes flow. Changes at meetings could result in a series of different understanding by attendees.

Objective 5>Follow legal and corporate procedure. The last thing a micro manager desires is to be confronted by upper management about legalities or corporate procedure. One of the biggest errors a direct report makes to a Micro Manager is to provide the environment for them to be blind-sided by illegal, or lack of guideline procedure followed.

Solution>Be aware of rules and regulations and do not be a maverick, best to follow guidelines. Creativity and thinking outside the box is great, as long as legalities and procedures are followed. Follow the Chain of Command.

A great book to review is: “My Way or the Highway-The Micro Management Survival Guide” by Harry Chambers.

One great recommendation in this book is choose your battles. To many times people sweat the small stuff, obsess over minute points, get stymied and forget the big picture of strategic goals of the company, boss and personal. Nothing is random when working with a micro manager.

About the Author

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