Today's blog entry is from my Monday Motivator™  that was sent to over 5,000 readers this morning. I felt it was important to also share this information here for my blog readers.  Some time ago, one of our readers asked my advice on how I would handle a micromanager – which, as we all know, can be a supervisor or a colleague you’re working with on a project.

Micromanagers have their good and not-so-good points. To be fair, let’s explore the benefits of working with a micromanager first – namely that these are people who often accomplish a lot because they understand the devil is in the details. So they have an almost innate ability to ensure projects move forward at a steady pace – not all rushed at the end. As a result, the quality of their work is often better than average. We can and should admire these laudable traits.

That said, what usually makes it difficult to work with micromanagers is their seeming inability to give people space to do their jobs. At their spirit-crushing worst, micromanagers can smother all creativity and joy out of a team project – earning a fair share of resentment as a result. Ironically, intensely micromanaged projects are often mediocre at best because people stop sharing insight and simply “put in their time.”

If you’re working with a micromanager, ask yourself, “Why exactly is this person directing how I do my work?” Perhaps it’s the first time you’re working together; in that case, the micromanager may not know how well you perform, and may be responding in a sort of “default” mode applied to everyone until they’ve proved themselves. If you’re overcoming a slip-up in the past (such as a missed deadline), the micromanager may know this; time, once again, will be the cure.

However, if the micromanager is actually hampering your ability to do your job to the best of your ability, then my advice is to sit down one on one and speak up! Too often, employees make incorrect assumptions in the workplace, largely because they fear confrontation. Even the word sounds difficult! But the truth is confrontation can be a proactive, constructive exercise that puts you in the driver’s seat. The process is this simple:

• You see a problem.
• You think about it clearly enough to understand it from a 360-degree view.
• You speak to the person about the problem.
• You listen to the other side.
• Together, you arrive at a solution!

I’ve found that most times, micromanagers are unaware of the effect their personality or habits may be having on those they work with. Calling out the problem in a friendly way and stating precisely how it is affecting you can help resolve the issue, bolstering your work relationship so you’re an even more effective and productive team going forward

Wishing you all the best this coming week – and in your continuing efforts to overcome workplace challenges to achieve peak performance each and every day!