How to Manage a Micromanaging Boss

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Why do some bosses micromanage? Does it stem from a lack of confidence in the abilities of his/her employees? Is it a matter of self-aggrandizement or executive insecurity? Maybe your supervisor just gets a kick out of suffocating his/her puny little underlings. Whatever the reason, anyone who has ever had to deal with an overbearing manager knows how frustrating a situation it can be. Not only is it no fun to deal with condescension, a boss that behaves like a managerial boa constrictor can severely choke up productivity. It’s a lose-lose situation unless you enact a mange-your-boss strategy. The key to overcoming micromanagement? A positive attitude and conciliatory communication.

What’s the Big Idea?

Dr. Peggy Drexler is a psychologist who recently penned this Huffington Post article about improving relations with an overbearing supervisor. The bedrock of any managing-your-boss strategy is to never allow your righteousness to come into question. Be a good employee. Follow the rules. Do good work. You don’t want to reinforce any of your boss’ preconceived notions about how he/she must wrangle you in. As long as you’ve proven yourself to be a stand-up worker (and even if you’ve had a few hiccups along the way), the key to getting your boss off your back is by engaging in strategic conversation.

Drexler suggests respectfully asking for performance feedback, being proactive in communicating new developments, and establishing precedent for controlling his/her management of you. In a sense, you’ve got to wrangle him/her in.

Management is a dance between the supervisor and the supervised. If the former isn’t doing a great job of leading, the latter needs to establish a new beat.