December 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 35

past (or perhaps just one big one), he
or she has not only a right, but also an
obligation to ensure the information is
correct. The question is: What are you
doing to regain your boss's trust?
Rachel Radwinsky of Transformation Associates asks, " Is it because
you just don't like being managed? "
or feel you are " above " being managed? Independent personality types,
people who have never had to manage others or people who have been
in higher positions than their current
one could easily fall into that trap.
The reality, however, is that everyone
in the organization has someone he
or she is accountable to, even a CEO.
It may not be micromanagement that's
bothering you, just management.
If your self-reflection is blemish-free, the rest of these steps will
provide tools to defuse the classic micromanager.
Step 2: Do Your Job Well
Meeting deadlines and producing quality work are the strongest
antidotes to micromanagement.
Building your boss's trust and confidence that you can be counted on
is paramount to loosening the leash.
Demonstrate consistently that there
is nothing there to pick at, and the
nitpicking will stop.
Step 3: Look for Patterns
Being a student of human behavior
will help you at least recognize, if
not predict, a micromanaging moment. It's probably not everything,
just certain things that push your
boss's buttons and incite the interference. Make note and make them
a priority. Or it may not be your
work that's the problem, but something else that winds your boss up
with doubt, and you are collateral
damage. Get to know your boss's

stressors so you can help ease them,
rather than suffer through them.
Step 4: Understand Your Manager
Taking the time to understand your
boss's needs and what he or she is trying to achieve may uncover the reason why he or she holds so tightly to
certain things and expects perfection
from others. Ensuring you're pursuing common goals and not working
on separate agendas will help build
trust and buy you more freedom.
Acknowledging the pressure your
boss is under to meet demands from
above and showing empathy will inspire confidence that you understand
what's important to your supervisor.
Step 5: Communicate
Early and Often
The more work you do in the beginning to determine what your boss is
really looking for - not just what,
but why - the easier it will be for
you to deliver results that meet expectations and for your boss to leave
the " how " up to you. Establish at
the onset when he or she will want
check-ins and progress reports, and
make sure you stay on top of them
(if not pre-empt them). Keeping your
boss in the loop will build confidence
that you have everything under control, and the required check-ins will
become fewer and fewer.
Step 6: Ask How You're Doing
The micromanaging boss may not realize his or her uber-oversight equates
to negative feedback to the employee.
Each exchange is nullifying any positive feedback the supervisor may be
giving. Regularly asking your boss
how you're doing not only gives the
two of you the opportunity to identify and address any needed course
corrections, but if things are on track,

you get to shift the balance of the
positive-to-negative feedback ratio.
More importantly, it forces your boss
to hear his or her own voice affirm
" you've got this. " The more he or she
says it, the more your boss will begin
to believe it and feel more comfortable in pulling back.
Step 7: Speak Up, But Cautiously
If you've exhausted all of the tactics
above and you're still experiencing
the acute control freak, try addressing the behavior head-on - with
respect. Avoid being confrontational
or using the " M-word, " but instead,
describe what your boss is doing (second-guessing you) and tell him or her
how it makes you feel (mistrusted).
If that doesn't seem to go anywhere,
reach out to others who report to your
boss. Odds are, you're not the only
one experiencing this behavior and
getting them all on board with steps
two through six may help. If you are
the only one experiencing your boss
as a micromanager, you may want to
go back and review step one.
Obviously, the responsibility does
not rest on the shoulders of the employee to " fix " a micromanaging
boss, but if these steps can help improve the relationship, it may at least
fix your frequent urge to call in sick
or update your resume. Where the
responsibility does lie is squarely on
the shoulders of the manager whose
crushing style is having a negative
impact on not just staff, but likely the
whole organization.
Look for the conclusion of this
three-part series in the January issue,
which will provide six tips for shedding the " micro " without weakening
the management.
Lauren Yost is NRPA's Vice President of
Operations (lyost@nrpa.org).

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