Is a Micromanager the worse boss you can have?
It can be difficult to perform well when you’re being micromanged, because you may feel that your boss doesn’t trust you to do your job. You may be feel that you’re constantly being checked on and this can lead to you being anxious, stressed and if not dealt with properly, depression and burnout.
What about a boss that isn’t your boss?
By this I mean the boss who never gives you any feedback, not giving any vision for the Team, and you’re left just wondering what to do.
This can lead to to you feeling anxious and stressed, because you have no idea if you’re doing well or not and you can often take these problems home with you. It can lead to you not sleeping, overeating, under eating, loss of sex drive – basically burnout.
If that boss leaves and another ones replaces him/her, you could find yourself in deep water, because you may not have been following policies and procedures properly and the new boss may blame you.
How do you deal with a bad boss?
Depending on the relationship you have with your boss you could ask for a conversation about it. Write down everything you’ve done that week and proactively go to your Manager and say ‘here’s what I think is important, can I make sure we’re on the same page?’
As a Manager, your emotions have an impact on the people that you’re managing. If you come in to work really grumpy, it’s going to affect their mood. If your Manager is always grumpy in the morning, you could say ‘hi, I don’t know if popping in to see you is a good idea, or if you prefer email?’ This way you get a sense for their rhythms. You get a sense of how you should come to them with questions – avoid conflict.
If your boss is in a bad mood, try not to let it affect you and take it too personally. Form stronger connections with your colleagues.
Emotional contagion – We tend to catch each other’s feelings. If someone is feeling low, hunched over their desk, not saying anything, jiggling their foot, you’ll probably find your heart rate will go up too. It’s important to find ways of distancing yourself from that person for a while, or feed off a happier colleague. Think about how your behaviour is affecting other people.
Schedule smart – Understand your Manager’s patterns. If your Manager is always grumpy before he’s had his first cup of coffee, don’t schedule a meeting before he’s had his first cup of coffee. Maybe schedule the meeting for the afternoon.
Protect your self-esteem – Create a Smile File. Have a folder on your computer or phone, so when you get a nice comment, or see a positive quote, put it in there. If you get a negative comment, go to your Smile File and remind yourself of all the things you’re doing well.
You are not your thoughts – You may feel really bad in a moment and let your mind wander. Remember, those thoughts are not real.
If nothing else works, move on. People don’t quit jobs, they quit bad managers! If your manager is consistently making you miserable see if you can move to a different Team, or you may need a new job. If you have evidence of consistent bullying, there may be a case for constructive dismissal, but this is very difficult to prove and can be very stressful.
These are all steps in trying to make a hard situation feel a little better, but you shouldn’t have to carry this burden every day, because burnout is real and you should be looking forward to going to work, not dreading it.
If you think you’re being Micromanaged at work, or you just have a bad Boss, having been an Employment Law Lawyer for 20 years, suffered burnout myself, because of a bad Boss and not knowing what to do about it at the time, because I was under so much stress, I have now changed my career and as an Award Winning Coach I can help you deal with the situation you may find yourself in with my proven coaching methods.
