A Micromanaging Boss

Oseleny Aragon
What is a Micromanaging Boss?
• A Micromanaging Boss is someone who wants to control every particular,
down to the smallest detail, of your work.
What are some signs your boss may be micromanaging you?

• Checks on your progress multiple times a day

• Asks for frequent updates
• Tells you how to complete tasks
• Is obsessed with meaningless details
• Gets irritated if you make a decision without consulting him first
A Good Manager vs A Micromanager

• Good managers are detail oriented and understand the value of delegation.
• A micromanager obsesses on details, loses sight of priorities, and behaves
as if they don’t trust you.
Why is your boss micromanaging you?

• Insecurity
• Lack of trust in others
• Risk aversion
• Lack of confidence in your ability
• Having too little to do
• Thinks he or she is being helpful
• Just being a control freak
What to do before taking action

• Self assessment – Ask yourself “is it me?” Is there any reason your boss
might be micromanaging you? By assessing you can make sure that your
boss’s behaviour isn’t reasonable or rational.
• New to the job – The next question to ask is if either you or the boss is
new to the job?
• Changing conditions – Assess whether conditions have changed.
What to do

• Talk to your boss – If you come to the conclusion that your boss’s
behaviour isn’t temporary then you need to talk.
• Keep your boss updated - You want to alleviate any concerns she might
have that work isn’t being done correctly or that she might be unable to
answer questions about your work progress.
• Reinforce your boss’s - By positively reinforcing her trust, you increase
the probability that she’ll demonstrate more of that behavior.
What happens after

• When combined with your regular updates and your solid performance,

you’re very likely to see a decline in the micromanaging behavior.
Questions

• What is a micromanaging boss?

• What are 2 signs that your boss is a micromanager?
• What are 2 reasons your boss might be micromanaging you?
• What are 2 steps to take when your boss is micromanaging you?