June 1, 2009Speak Strong reader asks how to manage the micromanaging boss

Meryl,

My manager is a micromanager (control freak) who is driving me crazy. What can I say to reassure her that I’ll take care of whatever situation she needs completed?

Reply

Ask her,
• Is there something I do that leads you to not trust me to handle the situation?

You could also preempt her requests by providing her with regular updates. Even daily ones…giving her the status of everything you’re working on.

I’ve worked with assistants who haven’t updated me; sometimes things would slip through the cracks. That meant I can’t just turn things over to them – I felt a need to keep track. I’d much rather know that once I’ve turned things over, they’d get done – but I didn’t have that trust. I assume you’ve considered that possibility and that you don’t let things slip through the cracks – but if your manager has had help that wasn’t as thorough as you are, this could be a residual.