PUMPING THE BREAKS ON YOUR MICROMANAGER
You spent a ton of time and energy learning everything about your job to continue growing in your role and organization. You receive that promotion or moved on to a new job to get that well-deserved title or extra 0’s at the end of that paycheck. It should be a time of celebration until you realize your new boss is closely watching your every action and frequently providing suffocating feedback. Congrats you officially have a micromanager on your hands.
Does any of these sound like what you are experiencing?
Wants to be copied on all your emails
Needs to know everything and have the final decision
Sends frequent reminders about deadlines
Always checking on where you are with work
Doesn’t ask for your input and dictates how to accomplish
Endless “constructive feedback”
Delegates assignments but does not explain the big picture
We recently posted a carousel on Instagram that provided 5 Strategies to Managing your Micromanager. This form of leadership hurts morale and without addressing you will feel demotivated and lose that Misfits Momentum to reaching those milestones you are working towards. If you missed that post, we’ve shared it below. A micromanager struggles with giving control and trusting that something will get done, this is not a reflection of you. That behavior undoubtedly is/has created a toxic work environment. Like we said on IG, don’t fuel that BS. Instead, take these steps to find a solution or create your exit plan.
From my experience, often a micromanager is not coming from a bad place. It may just be that they want to see you succeed so their overbearing approach is how they believe you will not make mistakes or fail. They may also feel responsible for the successful outcome of everything under them and are feeling the weight of those responsibilities. Take a step back and a deep breath, try building that relationship, and practice open communication first before you go running out of the door. If you don’t have regularly scheduled meetings, put time on your manager's calendar to catch up. If you do, that’s great – use that time to express yourself.
Start the conversation with you would like to work on your personal and professional development. You would like to share your goals with that individual so they can help you achieve them. Put together a visual and walk your manager through who you are. Approach the conversation positively to keep them engaged. You will need to dig deep and show some vulnerability. Share your 12-month, 2-3 year, 5+ year plan. It can be personal and professional to let them see a glimpse of who you are. Show them a visual of your career growth, what has kept you motivated, and where you see yourself growing within the organization. Brande and I have both done this at different points within our careers where we felt stuck, and it helped propel us. The bonus we walked out of those meetings with a better relationship with our managers than we did going in. Now, if you, unfortunately, don’t have someone who is invested in your growth and success – then it's time to hit refresh on that resume and find a new opportunity that will appreciate you for the badass you are.
