Micromanaging is a practice that is widespread amongst most corporates today. We look at the psychology behind it and ways in which employees can deal with the same.
“My boss likes to go over every little detail, again and again, and again. It’s infuriating”
“She called me at 11 pm to make some changes to the website. She has no sense of work-life balance.”
“He focuses on details that have nothing to do with the project. He’s literally wasting our time.”
If you’ve worked at a corporate, you have either said one of these sentences or heard them from a co-worker. The fact of the matter is that either way, you have been or are a victim of micromanaging.
It is a style of management that some bosses practice, which involves them exercising control over every little detail-mainly unnecessary- despite having delegated the work to their employees.
A micromanager typically second-guesses every decision taken by subordinates and exercises control over something as small as the colour of the text on a PPT slide. All in all, micromanagers have a bad reputation, and employees find it extremely frustrating to work for them as they feel no sense of freedom and feel like they aren’t trusted with their capabilities.
Before going into why bosses micromanage, here’s a closer look at the traits of a typical micromanager:
- They are extremely controlling. From making important financial decisions for the company to telling their subordinates to make style changes to a document, micromanagers like to get involved with every process, come what may.
- The bosses like to keep a close watch on their employees. They constantly ask their workers to give them updates on whatever they are working on. Along with this, they constantly keep telling them what they should and shouldn’t do.
- Micromanagers like to come in early to the office and leave late. Even if the employees leave at a certain hour, the bosses like to stay behind to complete pending work.
- They hate it when their employees make decisions without consulting them. Micromanagers also get insecure when employees gain credit for their good work.
- Managers often have unrealistic expectations, for example, expecting a report within a certain time frame, when the same is next to impossible.
- They tend to stretch themselves by taking on too many projects at once. Mostly, they are so busy that they aren’t able to complete any of their jobs. Adding to this, they are also not able to oversee any problems within teammates as they are too focused on the projects and don’t have much time on their hands.
- Micromanagers are very quick to pinpoint mistakes but hardly praise their employees. They don’t even like to admit their own mistakes.
So now to the big question- why do bosses practice micromanaging?
All our behaviours, especially negative, have a psychological reason behind it, including micromanaging. Yes, you might be despising your boss for doing it. But if you understand the reason behind it, it will help you tackle it better.
1. A background of a dysfunctional family
Micromanaging can be an outcome of one’s own childhood experiences. If a person has been brought up in a dysfunctional family environment, he/she could be replicating the same in their own management style. They may have been brought up by an overtly critical parent and might be using the same sort of authority to exercise control over their employees, thinking it’s effective.
2. Inferiority complex
Micromanagers often act in a controlling way due to their own inferiorities. They keep going over every detail repeatedly, as they are not confident enough of having completed a project successfully. They are second-guessing their employees as they are mostly second-guessing themselves.
3. Fearful of losing control
Micromanaging can arise from an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the fear of losing control could actually cause anxiety to some. As a result, they nitpick as it becomes their way of being and they rather have the comfort of that than face their fears.
4. Past negative experiences
Certain bosses may have had an unpleasant experience with their previous employees. Their trust may have been broken, and as a result, they want to make sure that this time around, they don’t go through the same events.
5. Having a false idea about leadership
Most micromanagers are not even aware of how frustrating their way of working is. They might be under the impression that by being thorough with details, they are making sure the best work gets put forward and that they are setting their workers on the right path. Their very idea of leadership might be flawed and they may be in the need of proper guidance.
Now that we know why micromanagers behave the way they do, let’s get to how you can tackle this behaviour.
Being a constant victim of micromanaging can be frustrating and can make you stressed, anxious, and even have low self-esteem. However, after gaining the psychological perspective of micromanaging, you can apply these tactics to deal with your boss without getting emotionally affected.
1. Make sure you do your job well
Yes even if you do your job well, most probably your boss being a micromanager, will not be satisfied. But even so, don’t give him/her a chance to pick on you in the first place. Make sure that you complete the job and do so, in your best capacity. Then, let em’ come at you! However, don’t leave the job hanging as this anyway would give them a chance to point fingers at you.
2. Recognize that your self-worth isn’t measured by what your boss tells you
Now that it’s been established that most micromanagers behave a certain way due to their own inferiority complex, you know that what they say to demean you is a function of what they might be feeling about themselves.
3. Try and keep them in the loop at every step of the way
Before your micromanager can ask you what you’re up to, let them know on your own. That way you are ahead of the game, and won’t get frustrated by them constantly asking you for updates. Make the communication clear from your side so that you don’t have to be answerable later.
4. Set boundaries for yourself
Be upfront with your boss on projects that would require supervision from him/her and those that won’t. That way, when they go over the details, you’ll know it’s within the boundaries that were clearly discussed beforehand. If they begin to question your work outside of what has been discussed, you can bring it up with them.
5. Be vocal about how you feel
You may think that doing this can backfire as you may anger your boss. That’s not necessarily true. You can always put forth your feelings across in a way that is not accusatory or attacking in any way. Being vocal about how your boss’s management style is impacting you negatively can work in your favour as they may not be aware of it at all. However, make sure not to use the term ‘micromanaging’ as it may lead them to become defensive. Instead, just let them know what you expect out of them and how it would make your work better.
6. Try the reverse tactic
This needs to be done in a very clandestine and cautious manner. For each time that your boss interferes and gives you certain unnecessary tasks, you can counteract by asking him/her repeated questions on the same. That way, they may get bugged by the constant questioning and in turn, realize that micromanaging can be a pain to deal with. As a result, they might give up and leave the task entirely up to you to finish your own way.
You can try these techniques and see a positive change at work. However, sometimes it’s not that easy as your tendency to get stressed and anxious about work has now become a habit like eating, walking, and sleeping. And for the micromanagers, their tendency to go over every little detail has become a habit too!
And why is that? Because of an imbalance in your brainwaves!
Our brain works in patterns. These patterns are formed as a result of learned fears and habits, trauma, injury or birth defects, etc. The reasons can be many. Due to these patterns that are formed as a result of our rigid brainwaves, even our tendency to micromanage, get anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, or angry becomes learned behaviour and a habit. And that is why telling yourself to remain and think positive or stay calm doesn’t always help.
Your behaviour is governed by your brainwave patterns which are operating on a set of neural pathways.
Only when these pathways are interrupted or new suitable pathways are formed, does your behaviour change.
So in simpler words, due to the disbalance between your brainwaves and functioning, you feel obsessive about details, stressed and anxious all the time, as now, it’s become a habit for you.
The idea is to get to the root of the problem and restore the balance in your brainwaves.
And this can be done with the brain training technology called Neurofeedback.
The US, FDA-approved, and NASA-inspired brain training technology will help eliminate your micro managerial behaviour as well as stress and anxiety. And all you have to do is watch movies!
To learn more about this technology, visit our website wetrainbrains.com.
Neurofeedback can help you get rid of your obsessive behaviors, stress, anxiety, sleep issues, and more and help you lead a joyous, wholesome, and happy life. So what are you waiting for? Book your first session right away!
