Working With Your Micromanager - The Doer
Working with a micromanager can be an unfortunate experience. Especially when that manager used to do the same job as you, they can get quite controlling or directive about how to get the work done. While this can be frustrating and demotivating, there are things you can do about it. Use this information to understand what drives your Doer manager and how to adapt your communication style.
Ultimately, Doers micromanage because they are uncomfortable with not knowing the daily details about how the work is getting done.
If you haven’t yet, check out this overview of micromanager
types: It's Your Fault You're Being Micromanaged.
The Doer Micromanager
One of the most common micromanagement styles is the Doer.
These are the managers who were once good at their team's job. More often than
not, these people were promoted into management for their talent at getting the
job done and struggle with letting go. These micromanagers will usually give
you detailed steps and checklists. They know what is happening because they
tell you exactly what to do.
There are several key concerns or fears that Doers are
balancing when in leadership roles. These boil down to reputation, trust, and
information.
Reputation
These managers are proud of their accomplishments and want
to see that trend continue in their new role. In many cases, this reputation
was hard won, and they probably believe they achieved most of these
accomplishments through their skills and motivation.
Since most managers receive little training on motivating
others, setting goals, and communicating expectations, they don’t know how to
empower you to build your reputation and excel as a team. This means the only
tools these managers have for success are the skills and experiences they
gained before management. Those skills
and experiences are about getting their hands dirty in the weeds of the
work.
That micromanagement, you feel, is their best attempt at
showing you the way to success.
Trust
One of the biggest drivers of relationships and minimizing
micromanagement is trust. With Doers, trust is a hard-won achievement. Many of
them will expect the people around them to prove themselves trustworthy. You may hear them say something like, “They
have not earned my trust yet.”
What does this mean?
To a Doer, it likely means they have not seen enough of your day-to-day
decisions or actions to know you will uphold their reputation. Trust is
established after enough events to make your next steps known to your manager.
That micromanagement, you feel, is their effort to show what
next steps will make you trustworthy.
Information
Doers pride themselves on knowing exactly how everything
under their authority works. In manager roles, knowing how every project and
task is working often requires more time than is available. Since many managers
have minimal training, Doers don’t know how to ask for what they need to feel
confident explaining what is happening with projects.
That micromanagement, you feel, is their attempt to make
sure they know how your project works.
Showing Your Work with a Doer
Now, it seems like more training for your manager could
solve much of this, which is undoubtedly true but out of your control. You can,
however, control how you communicate with your manager. By leaning on their
expertise, let’s explore specifics around this communication that plays to your
Doers' strengths. Clarify their goals, share your plans, and share your
progress.
Clarify the Goal
Start by clarifying the details of your project, focusing on
the outcome. Prepare a meeting request or email message with questions. Ask for
specifics about how the project is expected to work, what it should look like,
what expectations they have about the project, and what expectations their
manager has. Most importantly, lean on their expertise by asking how they would
do the work. Dig into the details, and let them flex their problem-solving
skills with you.
As you clarify the goal, remember that your manager is
better at problem-solving than goal-setting. Their answers may likely be steps
or directions for you. Be sure to ask clarifying questions about what makes
those steps important. Focus on questions that start with “What” and “How,” as
these questions foster deeper collaboration and show trust in their answers.
Avoid questions that start with “Why,” as these will likely come off as
challenging or disrespectful.
Here are some ideas starters:
How does that help achieve the right goal?
What problem are we avoiding by doing that way?
What concerns do you have about trying to ______?
Clarifying the goals in this way will help reinforce to your
manager that you respect their reputation and build trust by making it clear
that doing the right job is important to you.
Share Your Plans
After you have taken the time to get clear on goals and
before you start doing work. Take some time to clarify the steps you will take.
This is probably the most challenging part; you will likely want to start doing
work and figure many things out as you encounter them; resist this. You have a great starting point already. Your
manager likely already shared a plan and many of the steps with you. Document those in your own words and flesh
out details where you see opportunities based on the goals you learned in the
previous step.
Here is what is important: get into the weeds by being
specific and detailed. There is no need to stay high-level or vague for a Doer;
they want to discuss the details and will be happy to find someone who will.
Also, share these using the phrase “I plan to” and avoid “Is it okay if.” Be
sure to ask for feedback about where they would do something different. Make
sure you accept and integrate that feedback.
Also, your Doer manager likely values progress over many
other things, and spending time on a plan after they told you what to do could
be a difficult sell. Please do not spend too much time making your plan. It
will stall your trust building.
Sharing your plans in this way will build trust by showing
how you think about the problem. It will also give them the information they
want about how the project will work. Finally, asking for feedback respects
their reputation.
Share Your Progress
Finally, create a reminder to check in with your manager regularly.
Depending on the project, this could be daily, weekly, or biweekly. Doers will
value knowing the progress being made. I don’t recommend going longer than two
weeks without a detailed progress update. Your manager has probably already
given you insight into how often this should be. When do they usually ask you
for updates? How often do they ask, “How is your project going?”
In your update, share:
The tasks you have completed.
The challenges you have overcome, with the details about how.
Any challenges you have not overcome, with questions about how your manager would proceed.
The work you have remaining in your plan.
The tasks you will work on next, with details about how you will work through them.
Reminder: get into specifics and details about the tasks at
all levels of this plan. Doers want that level of information so they know what
is happening and how. Share how you handled the solutions you are proud of and
where you would have done differently if presented with a problem again.
Sharing your progress this way will consistently give your
manager the information they want before they feel the need to ask for it. This
will also build trust by showing that they don’t need to check in on you and
that you are still delivering progress. Lastly, this respects their reputation
by asking for guidance on problems you foresee.
Wrapping It Up
Working with a micromanager can be frustrating, but it
doesn't have to be. By understanding their concerns and adapting your
communication style, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity to build
trust and achieve common goals.
Don't let micromanagement get you down—use these strategies
to take control of the situation and work effectively with your micromanager.
If you are working with a Doer micromanager, acknowledge their reputation, take
steps to build trust, and share the detailed information they are after. Do
this by clarifying their goals, sharing your plans, and showing progress,
demonstrating your commitment to the success of the project.
Stop Managing Up and Start Showing Your Work
Working With Your Micromanager - The Taskmaster
Also, check out this post about strengthening relationships at work: Professional Relationships Drive Career Growth
If you are looking for more help in navigating your micromanager, consider reaching out to me.
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