Changing Micro-Managers’ Behavior 2

If you’re like me, you can’t stand being micromanaged.  Micromanagement crushes productivity and morale.  Nobody wants to work for a micro-manager.

The worst part is that micro-managers don’t usually realize that they are causing problems.  They feel that they are being proactive and doing an extra-groovy job ensuring that the job gets done.  So simply telling your boss that he/she is micromanaging you may be an option.

Get-to-work Monkey says “It’s time to get some work done! Why aren’t you done yet?”

Unfortunately, many of us don’t have that kind of relationship with our boss.  But don’t worry; there are other ways to save your sanity.  Here are some methods that I’ve tried in the past; maybe they can help you:

1. Display Some Reading Material:  There are a ton of management books available online.  Like this book on working with bad bosses.  Maybe you could “take the high road” and buy this book for yourself.  Just make sure you leave it on your desk for your boss to see it, so that he/she can congratulate you on your efforts at self-improvement.
2. Buy Your Boss Something Nice:  Maybe your boss just needs to see that you care.  Send him/her something nice, like this helpful planner.  Nothing shows you care like helping someone become more productive.
3. Roleplay:  It’s possible that your micro-manager just needs a little time with a kindred spirit.  Return the favor by micro-managing him/her right back.  It’s loads of fun if done properly.

True story time: I once had a boss (years ago, when I worked as a recruiter) who would call me at multiple times throughout the day to get an update on my production.  The only numbers that truly mattered were “positions filled”, and I was only expected to fill 2 or 3 positions per month.  I was good at my job, had a track record of reliability, and always met (or exceeded) my numbers.  But this boss just had to know my minute-to-minute activities: numbers of phone calls made, appointments set, interviews conducted, etc.  The constant requests for updates was incredibly distracting and completely disrupted my flow (which we all know is important).

So after dealing with the issue for as long as I could, I decided it was time to correct the behavior.  And to add to the fun, I had a co-conspirator: my only coworker.  The two of us hatched an ingenious plan to make things right in our world: Every hour (on the hour), one of us would call our boss and ask him a question.  It was always a valid question that related to our current activities, but it was also always a question that we easily could have found an answer to.

Day 1 went well.  Over the course of a 10-hour day, we each placed 5 phone calls, asking 10 ridiculous questions in total.  Day 2 went even better.  On the second phone call, the boss was on to our game and sick of our crap.  He told us not to call him unless we had an important update or needed his help with something.  He was tired of talking to us and transitioned to a weekly update call.  Faster than expected, the bad behavior was broken.  Happiness returned to the kingdom.  There was much rejoicing!