Micromanagement is one of the most frustrating workplace experiences. It can have a negative impact on your work performance and mental health. It can make even the most capable employee feel undervalued, restricted, and mentally drained. Constant check-ins, lack of autonomy, and over-involvement from a manager can slowly reduce confidence and motivation.
Micromanagement can range from those managers who don’t trust anyone to get the job done and up to the required standards, through to the power, who love nothing more than to think they are the most important person in your organization.
But while you may not always be able to change your manager, you can control how you respond. The key is learning how to protect your motivation, maintain your performance, and navigate the situation strategically. If you currently feel micro-managed by someone at work, there are ways to deal with it without losing your motivation.
Understanding Micromanagement
Micromanagement refers to a management style characterized by excessive scrutiny of and control over a team and its members. They are often overly involved in the details of the work and can be very critical of employees. A micromanager may assign their employee a task but ask for frequent progress reports and attempt to manage every part of the task.
Signs of micromanagement include overinvolvement in employees’ work, hyperfocus on minute details, inflexibility, and excessive oversight, among others. Micromanagement can damage motivation, creativity, workflow, and productivity, and contribute to a toxic workplace culture, sometimes even leading to employee turnover.
Micro-management demotivate employees because their actions:
1. Signal a Lack of Trust
Trust is the cornerstone of high-performance. You know yourself that when feel trusted, you are inspired to deliver fully in line with your capability. You also know that when you don’t feel trusted, you deliver sub-par work. You might be worried you aren’t meeting expectations, you may resist sharing ideas or trying something new, and you fundamentally question your worth within the team. Micro-managing a competent team member signals a lack of trust and then the feeling becomes mutual and with destructive effect.
2. Provoke Intense Emotions
Think back to a time you were fully engrossed in your work, maybe handling a project that you were completely engaged in, and your boss or colleague started frequently asking about the status, beyond the already agreed check-in points. Or maybe they made detailed and specific suggestions, about how to proceed with a plan you had already communicated and gained sign off for.
3. Foster Low Performance
Once interest is lost, poor performance quickly follows. If you feel a micro-managing boss is going to anyhow check the work, why bother investing time and effort in doing a great job in the first place? From being vested in delivering strong work from the get-go, you may find yourself deferring to a ‘this will do’ attitude.
4. Destroy Value
The intent of a micro-manager may be to add value, but too much of anything is a bad thing. Too much ‘value add’ is no exception, ‘value add’ being suggestions on how to make something perfectly fine, even better. There is a point of deflection in a relationship with a micro-manager, when that latest additional value-adding comment destroys value by killing your drive and vision, and with that, your respect for the person.
Practical Ways to Handle Micromanagement
Many employees who feel micromanaged end up transitioning to a new company because the micromanagement interferes with their motivation and mental health. You don’t have to be one of those employees.
· Try to Uncover Your Manager’s Motivations
What drives your manager to micromanage employees? Do they simply not trust your ability to do the job well, or are they afraid that your mistakes will reflect badly on them? Once you understand why they choose this style of management, you can work to establish greater trust and ask for more independence on the job. Knowing your manager’s concerns will help you negotiate for the autonomy you need to function comfortably. For instance, you may ask for scheduled check-ins rather than random intrusions if your boss just wants to know that you’re on schedule and aren’t slacking.
· Communicate assertively
If you feel like your boss is micromanaging you, it is important to communicate this to them in an assertive, but respectful way. Request a meeting and initiate a diplomatic and honest conversation about the impact of their managerial style on your productivity. Explain how their behaviour is impacting you and your work, and try to come up with a solution that will work for both of you. There is a possibility that your boss is not even aware that they are micromanaging, and once you bring it to their attention, they will be more conscious of it and make an effort to change their behaviour. Keep the conversation just between you and your manager. Strive to strike a balance between asserting yourself and respecting your manager’s position.
· Get clear on expectations
Talk to your boss about their expectations and try to get on the same page. It may be helpful to schedule regular check-ins so that your boss can feel updated on your work without feeling the need to constantly check in with you. By understanding your manager’s expectations of you, you may be able to minimize the need for constant supervision. Ask for specific key performance indicators that you can focus your actions around. That way, you and your manager can schedule periodic check-ins to measure your performance, thus potentially creating more autonomy.
· Demonstrate competence.
Micromanagers often micromanage because they feel like they are not being kept in the loop. Be proactive about showcasing your abilities and achievements in the workplace so that your manager begins to trust you to deliver quality work independently without excessive input from your manager. By being proactive and keeping your boss updated on your work, you can help to prevent them from feeling the need to micromanage.
Micromanagement can feel limiting, but it doesn’t have to make you lose your motivation. Ther are ways to deal with the situation that can often result in a more constructive and productive working relationship. By staying proactive, communicating effectively, and protecting your motivation, you can navigate the situation without losing your confidence or performance. It is important to understand that, career growth is not just about your environment but how you respond within it.