Make sure that every time they get involved that they end up with more work and headaches as a result. After two years of that they'll have a nervous breakdown.
It does rather help if you anticipate their next idiotic request, and then randomly respond either before they mention it, or else leave it until it is overdue.
Selective amnesia is also a good tactic.
Always cc his boss when requesting that he prioritise projects. Always estimate that jobs will take twice as long as is reasonable (that's not a bad idea anyway). Keep notes.
If he asks for something be done as a rush job spend an hour writing a note explaining how it'll impact on your other tasks. Even if it is only a two hour job.
Now, the above is a high risk strategy. The proper answer is that he is micromanaging because he is insecure, possibly because he doesn't trust you, or does not trust himself. In theory the right thing to do is to demonstrate that he can trust you, by anticipating his requirements, telling him what you are doing, and delivering good work on time. However that merely reinforces bad behaviour, Pavlov would not approve.
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
Greg:
I don't agree with the first half of your post, and I fully agree with the second one. When I start working with a new team ( or a new element) I also start as micro manager and then adapt my style with the persons that I work with. I work with persons that like freedom and are responsible and competent enough to work with little supervision. For those, I let them loose and only control critical factors, give deadlines and objectives or provide my oppinion on how to proceed.
Others are competent but they prefer to keep me informed about most of the things and like to be more controlled. For those I am more micro manager, despite that I always try to foster independence and free thinking.
And then there are the incompetents. I usually fire those.
Sadly I'd have to say neither approach that I proposed will necessarily work. Of the three micro-managers I've had, none turned out to be much good, as managers.
Of the many many other managers I've had, I've had a good relationship with the vast majority of them. Therefore I now treat micromanagement as a huge warning sign.
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
I had a micromanager in my last job. He also tended to keep a tight hold on information. I pulled him into a conference room one day and explained to him that I did not appreciate being advised on the proper font in which to compose my emails, among other things. Basically I told him in a quasi-tactful way to back off. When the micromanaging would ramp up from time to time, I freely argued with him, but never got personal (being objective and impersonal is the key). Sometimes he would force the issue and I would throw out a "agreement is not a prerequisite to compliance" comment to end the conversation and do what he wanted. It rarely came to that because I could usually back him down. If you are competent, people will take a surprising amount of BS from you without risking being fired.
You could try delegating some of your To Do list back to him - if he's micromanaging out of insecurity having you ask for help will massage his ego and if he's micromanaging because he has nothing better to do it will occupy his time in a more useful way. Either way things should improve.
If the micromanaging continues, its time to find another manager...
Yes, you could delegate upwards, but it will not make your job any more fun or more efficient because details will inevitably rain down on you again.
IMHO micromanagers are as useless as secretaries that don't care about details, and there is no easy way to live with them. Keeping details away from them is not a solution because it will make them feel very uncomfortable. Being a micromanager is usually driven by a sense of insecurity.
Knowing this, the only succesful way to deal with a micromanager is a combination of:
- Showing him that you have all the details under control and that you care about them, thereby giving him more confiance little by little so he will get less and less on top of you. Telling him details don't matter goes in the opposite direction and does NOT help.
- Explaining him that everything takes time and priorities have to be put in order of importance no matter what, and that certain things will fall off the list. This will be a painfull process for both of you, but it's inevitable to make him become a better manager (or a manager in the first place) and to make your position bearable.
If you don't have the energy to face this, get your cv up to date.
![[cheers]](/data/assets/smilies/cheers.gif "[cheers] [cheers]")
