How do you deal with micromanagement?
Irina Haupt
11 replies
We've all been guilty of or experienced micromanagement. I personally like to be very open about it and establish boundaries and expectations.
How do you handle these situations?
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Rachit Nigam@rachit_nigam
I had experience working with micromanagers. Usually, I tried to be proactive in my communication, always being crisp and clear on the deliverables/expectations. Trying to be as organized as possible and all
of this really helped to avoid friction and constant reporting to managers.
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@rachit_nigam Hi Rachit, thank you for your thoughts! Did you mostly communicate face-to-face or did you have a tool or similar to note things down, that your managers could always go to to check where you stand?
@irina_haupt I usually communicate twice or thrice face-to-face in a week. Other than that, we use Asana where we simply keep track of things at a high level for managers to review anytime. If more clarity is needed, then only we setup more face-to-face.
Also alot of it depends on manager to manager.
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I've been lucky enough not working with micromanagers for several years now. I believe the key notions are mutual trust and autonomy. When there is proper work ethic, self-organised people will get things done by themselves and update relevant colleague(s) without a need for frequent reporting.
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@kartal_erkoc1 Great point of view! That type of working climate is essential to avoid the need for micro-management.
Bababot
We are all aware of the importance of inspiring your team. However, it's easy to fall into the trap of micromanagement, when you're passionate about the project or the big picture and you want to make sure everything is done right.
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@adams_parker I've seen this before - founders who are passionate about their "babies" can be so over-protective i.e. micro-managing. Communication becomes key here.
To deal with micromanagement, be the first to speak up and let the micromanaging boss know that it is not healthy for the team. Suggest that he allow his team members to work independently and offer to proof his work before submission. Also, suggest that he allow his team to work on creative projects without his input.
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@rebecca_kim1 Hi Rebecca, thanks for your input! Speaking up is always good - I noticed that this is often taken well.