I remember in one of my earlier jobs after college, I had a supervisor who had a tendency to continuously check in with me after he had assigned me something to work on. On top of that, he wanted to control how I went about doing the work. It made me overwhelmingly stressed out, and my performance showed it. In fact, everyone who worked under this person ended up underperforming.

Contrast that with another supervisor I had at the same firm. She'd give me clear direction on something to work on, some pointers on how to go about it, and then leave me alone. We'd have milestone meetings, but these occurred far less frequent than me being asked every 45 minutes, "how's it going?" or "how much longer do you think it'll be?" or "oh no, you should do it this way instead, it's faster."

The result of being given more space, more autonomy, and more freedom was an exponential increase in the quality of my work, my productivity, and my peace of mind in the workplace. But, micromanagers are inevitable, and since they are often in a position of authority, it can be tricky knowing how to interact with them without wanting to break down. Amy Gallo, contributing editor at the Harvard Business Review offers some pointers in a recent piece:

Consider your boss's position

Jenny Chatman, professor of management at Haas School of Business at UC Berkley, tells Gallo, "It’s more about your bosses’ level of internal anxiety and need to control situations than anything about you." Gallo expands stating that we can't change how our bosses lead, encouraging employees to try not to rebel against their bosses, but instead change how they follow. 

All micromanagers aren't created equal

In his conversation with Gallo, Jean-François Manzoni, professor of management at INSEAD contrasts two kinds of micromanagers. At one end of the spectrum, there are those managers who pay great attention to detail, who have high standards, and who like some degree of control. Someone like Steve Jobs could fit this type.

On the other end, there are "pathological micromanagers who need to make it clear to themselves and others that they are in charge." These are the leaders who give us little or no autonomy, Gallo writes. They want to be involved in every detail of our work, similar to my supervisor who stifled my ability to engage with my work and adopt a level of ownership.

Don't retaliate

Gallo again refers to Manzoni: "If you push back in one way or another — passively or aggressively — your manager may conclude you can’t be trusted and get more involved," Manzoni says. Instead of getting frustrated, we should try to understand our boss's behavior, looking for underlying reasons such as their being under pressure, or just operating in their natural way of leading. These considerations should help us respond more wisely, Gallo writes.

Increase trust and make upfront agreements

Team members should seek to make an effort to succeed in the areas that our managers care about. By delivering consistent positive results, the hope is that our managers will feel more comfortable trusting us. This can be coupled with having a discussion with a a manager on how they might be involved before a project starts, seeking to understand the expectations and bigger picture as opposed to discussing specific tactics and smaller details.

"Be sure you understand upfront what the guiding principles are for the work — not just the tactical elements. These principles are what you should be discussing with your boss," says Professor Chatman of this approach.

Keep them in the loop

Gallo reminds us that micromanagers are typically motivated by anxiety. Quoting Chatman, she writes, "They are nervous about anyone else being able to do things as well or in the way they would do them." To address this concern, Gallo encourages employees to keep our manager informed of our progress on the work assigned to us and even scheduling regular check-ins. 

Wisely give feedback

If managers are open to feedback, then it may be a good idea to share the halting effects of their micromanagement. But, as Gallo warns, this could backfire if we're dealing with someone who enjoys showing they have the power and we don't. This is a balancing act. 

If there seems to be no solution, and none of the above strategies work, Gallo encourages us to ask ourselves if it is really worth staying in the current working situation we find ourselves in. Professor Manzoni says, "If it’s pathological, you should consider transferring to another part of the company or finding another job."

We can only change ourselves

In the end, the only person we can control is ourselves. Perhaps, the best approach may be modifying our approach, while working on abandoning the challenge of having to deal with the micromanagement of the other person.

Have you had to deal with micromanagement? How did you go about it? Share in the comments.