Workplace

How to Survive Working for a Micromanager

Do you work for a micromanager? When you have a micromanager in your school district or school, it can be incredibly frustrating and have a negative impact on your daily operations. It can be very difficult to perform the job that you were hired to do when they try to control all areas of your work. This leads to employee dissatisfaction and takes away from the rewarding aspects of a job. You can not always avoid working with a micromanager, so it is essential to learn to work with them. This article will go over ways to survive working for a micromanager. 

Understand why they micromanage

Micromanaging has little to do with your work ethic and has more to do with your manager's work ethic. People micromanage for many reasons, so the first step is to understand why they are doing it. Micromanaging comes from a place of insecurities. Supervisors or administrators might be micromanagers for many reasons, and a lack of confidence in their managing abilities might be one of them. It is essential to recognize the triggers that cause your manager to micromanage. By identifying the triggers, you can do things to prevent micromanaging. 

Work on building trust

Work on building trust so your manager can trust you to complete tasks without their help. If you have identified a lack of trust causing your manager to micromanage, you can work on this. By building trust, your manager can start to worry less about the tasks being delegated and focus more on the things they need to work on themselves. Trust takes time and consistency to build, so focus on being the hardworking employee they hired, and in time your supervisor should trust you more.

Speak about the situation

Micromanaging can be a trait that people have and are unaware of. Micromanaging can come from a helpful place. Your supervisor might think that they are helping you, while in reality, they are not. If this is bothering you and it is affecting the quality of your job, this might be something you want to have a conversation with them about. Try reaching out to them and having a conversation with them. Avoid having this conversation around others, as it can be a sensitive topic. When addressing it, do not blame them. Instead, let them know how their actions are making you feel. Reassure them that you are qualified to do the job that you were hired to do. It is important to be respectful and sensitive to their feelings during this conversation to ensure that it is productive rather than destructive. 

Be clear on expectations 

During the conversation about micromanaging, discussing the expectations around the roles that both of you have will be helpful. In the event that micromanaging is happening as a result of confusion about the roles, having them explicitly laid out will help remedy this issue. With the roles and responsibilities of each job discussed, it will allow the supervisor to lead with a more hands-off approach rather than micromanaging. 

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