How to Stop Being Micromanaged

Is your supervisor's propensity to control every minute detail of your workday bottlenecking projects? There may be lingering trust issues with staff or pressures from above driving your supervisor to employ micromanagement tactics. Break the cycle by modifying the way you work and communicate with your supervisor.

Earn your supervisors' trust and confidence in all ways possible. Do not talk behind your supervisor's back or undermine your supervisor in public, be a good listener and follow instructions. Following these rules shows you respect your supervisor and helps you build rapport.

Be proactive, not reactive. Find out when your supervisor meets with superiors and what is reported during those meetings. Provide status reports ahead of time in electronic or printed formats allowing your supervisor an opportunity to review, discuss and understand them.

Devise a quick, easy method for providing reports to your supervisor at a moment's notice. Post progress updates on a project board that can be accessed when you're in meetings or otherwise not available. Taking a quick picture of the project board creates an instantly portable document.

Be dependable and meet your assigned deadlines. If you are not going to meet a deadline, let your supervisor know well in advance so delays can be discussed and reported to superiors.

Keep your supervisor in the loop. Do not provide your supervisor's superiors with updates before reporting them to your supervisor.

Be discreet and mindful of your supervisor's time when reporting issues and problems. Choose words carefully so as not to harm the reputation of other team members when communicating challenges. Try to offer solutions when discussing problems.

Develop a project worksheet and employ project management tactics when mapping out the scope of every project. Title each project, document the purpose and goal, define key players in each phase and discuss the reasoning for deadlines and whether or not deadlines are flexible. Create a working copy of each project sheet for your supervisor to discuss with all players. Meet with your supervisor at crucial points throughout the project to discuss timelines.

Work transparently and always be honest about the challenges and mistakes made along the way. Your supervisor will lose trust in you if you cover up mistakes.

When communicating with your supervisor, be confident and speak in positive terms. Be concise and to the point without engaging in too many details or tech talk. Give additional details only when requested.

Do not submit sloppy work. Project drafts should be well organized, in an industry-accepted presentation style, and be free of typos and grammar and formatting errors.

Managing yourself is the best way to stop being a micromanaged employee have a responsibility to prove themselves to their employers and be held accountable for the work they produce. Supervisors who have built confidence and trust in their staff seldom find it necessary to micromanage. If you have a micromanagement problem in your organization, it may be time to evaluate staff and management to determine the cause.