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Chief
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Chief
Just fart whenever they're around you.
Micromanagers are a special breed. You can't change them and the only way to fix it is don't work for one.
Last time I was dealing with a micromanager, I sat them down and had a frank conversation. I told him that I'm a professional and should be trusted to do my job. I'll gladly come to him if I have any questions.
Great response and same advice I would give.
If you can’t switch teams, preempt them with scheduled meetings. This way if they keep asking about projects you can emphasize it will be ready for your check in/touch base.
I do this. Works wonders!
Lean into it. Ask good, non-threatening questions. Welcome their input. Learn from it. Understand their main goals. Find out what they fear will happen if they don’t micromanage. (That might require some careful diplomacy.) Do they just miss doing the work you do? Or are they trying to help you learn something? Find ways to gain their respect by making their goals your goals. Trust will follow. If that doesn’t work, you can try the fart thing.
By leaving
You cannot change a micromanager. I've worked for two during the past 16 years. It was awful, both completely sapped my self-confidence, leaving me anxious and unable to make decisions. Fortunately one was let go fairly quickly after becoming MD. The other one I had to tolerate for 4 years before they moved on. My advice would be to try and switch teams. If that's not possible and it becomes intolerable, look for a new job.
A true micromanager can never be changed. There are some people who are simply not fit to manage others, it’s a personality thing. I’ve found bad managers never get better. I’d be looking for a new job. Sorry to hear you’re going through this.
Some of that comes with experience. 6 years ago I had a direct report who was stumbling during a client presentation, so I jumped in and finished it. Afterward, he spoke to me and said he wasn't going to be able to grow in his career if I was constantly overshadowing him.
My mindset has since shifted. I will give you all the tools and training and be here to answer any question you have, but I truly believe people will do better work if they don't have big brother watching over them (aka micromanaging).
Chief
Just fart whenever they're in your space.
downsides of working from home you can't fart out your micromanager
Recovering micromanager here. My worst instincts usually come out when someone makes me feel like they don’t know what they’re doing or are being too chill with something that is urgent. The more you can do to demonstrate “I got this” the less psychotic I am. Also the farting suggestion.
Agree. My micromanaging leanings come out when I feel like someone doesn’t know what they’re doing or they don’t demonstrate urgency when they should. Agree with the advice to pre-empt with check-ins and demonstrating “I got this”.
Have you tried farting
Be like Colin Robinson the energy vampire
Rising Star
Work from home
Choose your destiny:✨
1. Professional — Establish boundaries through check in’s or emails. Micromanaging could be bc they don’t trust you or your ability or think hovering = managing without recognizing the stress and annoyance it brings. Set the tone in a way that works for you but also keeps them in the loop.
Alternatively, if you think it’ll be taken well, you could also set up a meeting with your manager to share your thoughts and gauge theirs. Maybe they don’t realize they’re micromanaging — or if they do, you’ll get an answer on why so you can find a solution that stops it.
2. Petty — Let them micromanage. Send them continuous updates by the hour. CC them on EVERYTHING. Loop them in on everything. But be thorough and on point with your work when doing this so they realize you know what you’re doing. After a while they’ll hopefully either realize you’re fully capable or will be tired of the unneeded clutter/info coming through.
3 — Fart. I mean really stink it up. The kind that feels offensive when you walk past it. Create some elbow room with that smell. You may be known as the stinky employee, butt with farts come freedom.
Good luck!
A great manager should be consistently open to two-way feedback. Everyone on one should end with “do you have any feedback for me?” - this is your window to share how you are motivated and address ways of working that are stifling.
Rising Star
Stop bathing is the obvious answer but it doesn't guarantee results.