So, What To Do When Your Boss Micromanages You?

There are bosses that delegate and then there are the ones that delegate... but still micromanage. As a manager at the second level these latter ones are the worst bosses to have. They will tell you what they need from your team but then they won't let you do your work - they would come in and start giving instructions to your team members, countermanding your own instructions, changing their mind the next morning and give new/different instructions... totally confusing, authority eroding and moral sapping!

In many such cases you feel you have three options:

1. Just give up and do what the boss says, in which case you are just another minion in the serfdom without any real decision making power. Of course your subordinates will then very quickly catch on to it and very soon you will lose any remaining authority you had over them - they will just go over your head to talk to the big boss, circumventing you entirely. Or,
2. You fight for your position. Although you do this tactfully because you don't want to antagonize your own boss, sooner or later the boss will tire of your constant bitching and complaining, even if you are right. In some cases, especially if you are right!
3. In either of the two cases the result will not be to your liking. So, of course, as a third option you can take the high road, stand tall, and refuse to bow down to the dictator. You give him an ultimatum - either he let you do your job or else...!

However, let's think about a fourth alternative. Maybe he has a reason to micromanage you. Maybe you do not inspire the confidence in him that will let him let you do your job your own way. Maybe he came in to manage an out of control situation and he doesn't yet know who he can trust to do their jobs right. If you think you know your job why not meet him half way? Schedule a couple of short meetings every day, maybe one early on in the day to discuss what you have on your plate and then another one mid afternoon to discuss your progress in the tasks assigned to you and your team. Know what's going on in your department and be ready to answer questions. Raise a flag if something is wrong or if there is too much on your plate. Bring problems to the table but offer a solution, too - they have enough problems of their own to keep them busy. Be a team player. Speak up - courteously - if you disagree but help the boss implement his strategy once he has made up his mind, even if it is not the one you sponsored.

But, before every thing else, learn to manage your stress. You won't inspire confidence in anyone if you appear stressed out and hassled to them.