Managing Micromanagers

Patti Gilchrist, PMP, is a Senior Technical Manager with more than 20 years of IT experience. Visit her website at www.freepmstudy.com

  Communications Management   Talent Management  

Even with all the information and expert advice written about the negative effects of micromanagement, it still seems to be a recurring theme in corporate culture--and most of us have at one time or another experienced life under a micromanager. In fact, I’m often asked by colleagues how to handle micromanagers, who exercise excessive control over their staff and exert a disproportionate focus and attention on minor and trivial details. (For more information on the traits of a micromanager, visit this blog.)

While most employees can easily recognize one, they are not always as adept at coping with one. As a result, these managers typically have high turnover rates in their departments. Most employees would agree that micromanagers create an unhealthy work environment, stifle productivity, become roadblocks to employee’s growth and development, and fail to empower associates to make decisions and be effective in their role. But how do you deal with one?

After never encountering a micromanager for over a decade in my career, I eventually found myself reporting to a manager who exhibited this style--not only over his direct reports, but to resources outside his department as well. And like many others, I initially had no idea how to deal with this. However, I knew I was going to have to learn to navigate this successfully because I was not going to be able …

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