Leadership Tip

How to manage a micromanager

Micromanagement is about lack of trust. The person who is micromanaging doesn’t believe anyone can do something as well as he or she can. Once you understand this, you’ll be better able to manage a micromanaging boss.

  • First, make sure you keep your commitments. If you tell your boss you’ll complete a task by a certain date and time, make sure you do so. If you can’t, alert your boss to this before the deadline approaches.
     
  • Next, have a conversation with your boss and remind him or her of your experience bringing projects to completion and ask what concerns, if any, he or she has regarding your ability to do your job. See if you can come to an agreement about how to best move forward. When dealing with micromanagers, it’s best to give choices so they feel in control.

The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme and adapted from Adapted from The Magnetic Leader by Roberta Chinsky Matuson. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.

Unlock your potential

Whether face to face, or over the telephone, we can develop your leadership skills, support you in making important decisions, and help you reach your potential.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 questions leaders should never ask

Leadership is often portrayed as having the right answers. In reality, great leadership is more about asking the right questions. Questions can open minds, build trust and encourage innovation. Equally, they can shut down discussion, create... read more

10 ways to build your team

Everyone would like to be part of a dream team - a group of people, each skilled in their own discipline, pulling together to achieve more than they ever could alone. Yet while most organisations talk about teamwork, they still tend to reward individual... read more

10 weekend habits of purposeful leaders

The most impactful leaders know that success doesn’t come from working around the clock - it comes from working with intention. And that includes how we spend our weekends. While weekdays often revolve around performance, the weekend is a chance to reset... read more

Leadership Tips

HOW TO CREATE OWNERSHIP

You cannot force accountability, but you can make it easier for people to choose it. When pressure rises, the instinct is often to tighten control. Better leaders create the conditions in which ownership becomes the natural response. When people... read more

HOW TO READ THE ROOM

Good leaders notice what is said, and what is not. Eye contact, facial expression, posture and physical distance can all offer clues about how someone is feeling, but no single signal tells the whole story. The trick is to observe patterns without... read more

HOW TO BUILD YOUR POWER SKILLS

Technical knowledge may get you noticed, but it is rarely what makes people want to follow you. As leaders become more senior, success depends increasingly on judgement, communication, empathy and the ability to influence without relying on authority.... read more