Heather Eldred » micro-manager http://heathereldred.com Executive with a Life * Living Alaskan * Living With Purpose & Passion Mon, 09 Mar 2015 01:14:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 Is Your Boss Smothering You? (Or are you the Bossy Micro-Manager?) http://heathereldred.com/boss-smothering-bossy-smotherer/ http://heathereldred.com/boss-smothering-bossy-smotherer/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2014 16:26:35 +0000 http://heathereldred.com/?p=199 Is your boss someone that although well meaning, is a bit of a control freak?  Having a positive relationship with your boss is one the key variables in enjoying our jobs. But for most folks, micro-managers make work life challenging because they feel they lack the creative freedom to get the job done. “Micromanaging can show up in many forms, but most typically in bosses who dictate how employees complete tasks, question employees’ judgments, frequently ask for updates, and check in incessantly. While the line between effective involved leadership and micromanaging can be thin—detail-oriented or obsessive? Constructive or controlling?—many employees have felt the effects of a manager whose management style is more overbearing than hands-on and collaborative. In his book My Way or the Highway: The Micromanagement Survival Guide, author Harry Chambers reports that 79 percent of those surveyed said they’d been micromanaged at one time or another. A 2003 survey by office products manufacturers Franklin Covey, meanwhile, found that employees singled out micromanagement as the most significant barrier to productivity they faced, confirmed by a 2011 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology that showed people who believe they are being watched perform at a lower level.” ~ “Managing up when your boss is an obsessive micromanager” by Peggy Dexler. http://www.forbes.com/sites/peggydrexler/2013/06/13/managing-up-when-your-boss-is-an-obsessive-micromanager/ The first step is to understand if you (or your boss) are really a micromanager. This great article by Terry Arndt lays out the different “types” of bosses and how to recognize them: http://www.jobdig.com/articles/1107/Types_of_Bosses.html How to recognize a Micromanager: “He maintains tight control over information and resources, requires constant feedback on progress, seldom gives decision-making power to others, can be closed to input from subordinates, and tends to question employees about their decisions, methods and results.” “Bright side: Provides detailed instructions.” “Dark side: Bottlenecks progress, causes employees to question their own abilities, makes work tedious and more time-consuming than necessary.” This management style also impedes our creative energies and gets us out of the mode of thinking for ourselves. Without experience (and failure) in managing your own time, finding your own solutions and making decisions; the employee will never grow personally or within the company. How to deal with a Micromanager The key in dealing with a micro-manager is to give them a sense of confidence that you know what you are doing, that you are keep track of everything on your plate and that you know how to determine what tasks need your bosses opinion and which don’t. “Always restate your boss’s expectations and concerns out loud. This demonstrates that you hear and comprehend your task.”  You really need to understand what your boss’s priorities are. Ensure (and repeat back) what the end product needs to look like, when it is due, who needs to review it and state plainly what you believe his main priorities are.   Ask him straight out if you can have flexibility in how you get to the project accomplished as long as you are addressing his concerns and make the deadline.  Often […]

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