Being micromanaged can singlehandedly dictate how you view your job. Who likes to be hovered over all day or asked a million times when you'll be finished with a task? Unfortunately, we assume there is nothing we can do about it, when in reality there are several ways we can position ourselves in a way that establishes control. Consider trying these tricks to deal with a micromanaging boss.
Establish upfront transparency.
If you were to put yourself in your boss's shoes (let's assume they're Loubs), WHERE do you think their micromanaging tendencies are coming from? 9 times out of 10, micromanaging behavior stems from feeling unaware, out of control, and anxious. Your boss probably has their own superior breathing down their neck too. When presented with a new task or project, consider communicating as soon as possible what they can expect or anticipate. This immediately eases their mind, establishes a sense of awareness, and conveys you already have plan. Here are some examples:
This project will take close to 2 weeks to complete.
This will require seamless coordination with our marketing team.
In order to complete this project, we're going to need the following resources...
I can get this off to our compliance team by this Friday, but then the ball will be in their court.
Offer scheduled status updates.
While establishing upfront transparency is great at the beginning of a task, what happens when you're in the middle of it? Rather than waiting for your boss to bother you about a status update at 5:30PM on their way out for happy hour, offer to give them updates on a regular basis. The harsh reality here is that they are going to ask for an update regardless, SO you might as well take control of the situation and fit it into your own schedule. Chances are, you're already taking mental or physical notes about where you left off - so add 30 seconds to that task and send it to your boss. Here is a great way to see if this is something your boss would appreciate:
"Hey Sara, I know you're juggling a lot right now and I'm sure it's hard to keep track of everything. Would it be helpful if I gave you a status update at the end of each week about how the expansion project is progressing? I want to make sure I'm keeping you in the loop."
Don't feel like you need permission to start doing this! Your boss will let you know if it's not necessary, but showing the initiative is a win either way.
Request a regroup after task completion.
Whenever your project is complete, ask your boss if you could meet with them for 10 minutes. Ask them how they felt the job was handled. Were they pleased with the timeline? Were there any inefficiencies to straighten out for next time? Was there anything they would have liked to see done differently? Again, this is positioning you in way that establishes control and proactiveness. The more intel you have going into the next project, the clearer your understanding is of how your boss likes seeing things done. This means - yep, you guessed it - less breathing down your neck.
The main take away?
The more prepared, aware, and up to speed your boss feels on a project your running, the less they are going to micromanage you. Get in the habit of tracking their micromanaging patterns and try to anticipate them - try to always be one step ahead.
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