Managing Micromanagers

We all know that manager who likes to micromanage – the obviously named Micromanager. None of us particularly like being micromanaged, and to be honest, probably too many of us are micromanagers. We are typically not bad people, ipso facto, micromanagers are not necessarily bad people either. But they are annoying, distracting, and at times make the workplace less than ideal. Often, they don’t realise they are doing it, and frequently it is because they fear letting go of control.

A recent article in Fast Company by Martin Moore looks at the micromanager and provides some great tips on what we can do to help them. Following is a very brief outline of the salient points:

1. Develop Trust – you need to have the trust of your micromanager so they will be prepared to listen.
   
2. Push Back – you need to actually push back, or else put up and shut up. Use simple non-confrontational statements to push back.
   
3. Go Deeper – if pushing back doesn’t initially work, go deeper with leading questions that invite feedback so you can better understand where they are coming from and can respond.
   
4. The Last Resort – if all else fails, then really you have two choices – learn to live with it or leave.

Some useful advice on dealing with a micromanager, and if you recognise that one of your colleagues is asking doing this to you, then it’s time to realise you may be a micromanager, and to get help.