How to survive under a micromanager and where hypercontrol comes from – personal experience and useful tips

Hi! I'm Zhenya, CPO at the corporate messenger Compass. And today about a sore subject…

Imagine that you are focused on a complex task. You are immersed in the process, your brain is boiling from the huge amount of information and it seems that the solution is about to be ready. But once again, a notification comes: “So what's up with the task? Send the finished part – I'll take a look at lunch.”

And after lunch, another dozen questions. Why is only this part ready? It wasn't like that last time – why is it different now? And when will the final result be?

Many don't even need to imagine. For those working under a micromanager, it's a harsh reality – pointless and merciless.

If you are lucky enough to have never encountered something like this, I will explain. A micromanager is a manager who controls every step of the employees and completely blocks initiative, any independence on the part of the team.

I won't dwell on why this management style is bad. There are many articles written about it. I will only say that with the approach that micromanagers choose, absolutely everyone suffers: the managers themselves, the team, the clients and, of course, the company.

In this article, I want to take a closer look at all the facets of micromanagement and share my personal experience. I will tell you how to work with micromanagers, as well as how not to slip into this management style if you yourself manage a team.

10 Facets of Micromanagement

If you delve into the essence of micromanagement in detail, you can find neutral and even positive aspects in the reasons for this phenomenon. But there are expectedly more negative ones.

Neutral edge: the manager does not have the relevant experience

Newbies who are just starting to manage a team often slip into micromanagement, and therefore make classic mistakes. One of them is a natural continuation of the previous role. If a person previously solved current tasks well, then for some time he continues to do so by inertia.

When this is the only reason for micromanaging, you can expect the new manager to quickly outgrow the habit. At some point, he or she will find that the number of tasks exceeds his or her capabilities, so work must be organized and delegated differently.

Positive aspects

Excessive love for the team

Sometimes the desire to control everything is connected with the fact that the manager sincerely wants to help the team. He always tries to keep his finger on the pulse in order to resolve any difficulties that arise at any moment, to suggest something. Such a micromanager plays the role of a caring parent, which is nice to some extent, but makes employees helpless, and often irresponsible.

High interest in specific topics and tasks

There are managers who are truly in love with what they do. It is important for them to fully immerse themselves in the process and not miss a single detail. But even this positive reason for micromanagement leads to problems.

Negative sides

Lack of trust in the team or specific employees

In some situations, this mistrust is unfounded, while in others it is related to a specific negative experience. Managers who have already encountered irresponsibility in their team then have difficulty delegating important tasks.

Perfectionism

If a micromanager has an ideal, but at the same time difficult to achieve image of the result in his head, this will inevitably affect the employees. The manager will either torment everyone with the fact that the work does not reach the required level, or will start doing everything himself – the way he thinks is right.

Inflated ego

There are managers who sincerely believe that they are the only ones who know how to do the job right. But that's not the only problem that an inflated ego can cause.

These micromanagers don't just set unrealistic standards — they actively show employees “their place.” How this manifests itself depends largely on the person. The spectrum is huge: from passive aggression to outright insults and humiliation of the team or individuals.

Fear of being fired

Many micromanagers are afraid of being fired, and so they deliberately create conditions in which the team cannot cope without them. At least, that's how it looks to the top managers. In order to increase their importance and reduce the risk of being fired, such managers begin to shut down all processes – even those where they are not needed at all.

Fear of change

The world is evolving very quickly, so many teams have to frequently change their approach to work. For example, automate routine processes with AI.

A leader who is afraid of everything new often slows down such changes. It is easier for him to act in the usual way, but not to face new things that cause misunderstanding and fear.

In this sense, a micromanager often resembles the grandmother from the joke:

Opaque processes in the team

Micromanagement is often a consequence of chaos in business processes. The manager does not know who is responsible for what, what contribution each employee makes to the common cause. He does not understand how to track the completion of a specific task, so he controls every step just in case.

The reasons for this lack of transparency vary. In some cases, it is a system that was established before the micromanager was appointed. In other cases, the chaos is created by the manager himself – with his unclear orders, sudden tasks and inconsistent control system.

Lack of clear criteria by which results are assessed

If there are no criteria for good work or a task completed well, the manager relies on subjective ideas about what is good and what is bad. And this feeling can change depending on the goals, the project, the weather outside, or the mood. Therefore, it is impossible to predict at what stage the micromanager will want to control something.

The Psychology of Hypercontrol

Often employees who encounter micromanagement think that the manager controls every step and constantly interferes with the work out of spite, because he likes it. In reality, things are much more complicated. As psychologists say, in most cases, the reason for hypercontrol lies in psychological trauma and the fears associated with this trauma.

It might look like this:

In addition to the fear of shame and the previously mentioned perfectionism, hypercontrol may be based on:

• avoidance of guilt, which is often associated with shame;

• fear of loss – often irrational, when the degree of loss is greatly exaggerated (“I’ll get fired and I’ll die of hunger under the fence”);

• high level of anxiety – and it has many reasons.

And now a belated disclaimer: if you are a micromanager's employee, you should not figure out what psychological trauma caused his behavior. I am providing this information for your information. And I remind you that your influence on an adult is extremely limited. And he should work through his psychological trauma with the help of specialists – of course, if he has such a desire.

However, understanding how hypercontrol works from a psychological perspective provides some bonuses. In cases where the situation is not too critical and the manager is generally ready for dialogue, this knowledge will still come in handy.

Personal experience: how to work under a micromanager

Let me make it clear right away: there are situations when the only way to solve a problem is to fire someone. Not all managers are capable of reaching agreements and generally taking into account the opinions of their employees. If the stress level is off the charts, it is better to save your nerves and find a place with more adequate conditions.

When there is still hope for change, the following recommendations will come in handy.

Give up any confrontation

Open arguments or manipulation are the worst thing you can do when working under a micromanager. Open confrontation will only make the situation worse. The manager will once again be convinced that the team or individual employees cannot be trusted, so it is necessary to strengthen the already unlimited control.

The task should be completely different: to agree so that everyone ends up feeling good. Therefore, the only correct solution will be an open dialogue based on mutual respect.

Don't argue – argue

Real results, numbers, graphs are your best friends when interacting with a micromanager. An anxious person or a manager who has already encountered poor team performance will not believe promises anyway. But if your words are backed up by something that can be “touched”, there is always a chance to reach an agreement.

Suggest making processes more transparent

Ideally, such an initiative comes from the manager himself. But it varies, so don’t be shy about suggesting tools that will make your work as open as possible.

Here's where they can help:

• Task managers, with which you can easily track what employees are doing, how much time is spent on each task, where difficulties arose.

• Brief reports – daily or weekly, depending on the task.

• Short daily meetings at the beginning of the day or as needed. During such meetings, employees briefly talk about their plans for the working day and report on what they have done in the previous period. This way, the manager clearly understands what is happening in the team.

• KPI. It is good if the whole team participates in the development of key indicators. Otherwise, micromanagers can set unrealistic standards.

Agree on a “trial period”

If a micromanager doesn't believe that the team can cope without his supervision, the only way to convince him is to practice. You can offer him something like a trial period. For example, the manager allows the team to work independently for one or two months, and then compares key indicators with what they had before, under his supervision. Sometimes a few weeks are enough for the micromanager to realize his mistake and see how well everything works without him.

Show interest in the work

If you are really interested in working, do not hesitate to take the initiative. Offer your ideas, discuss them, organize brainstorming sessions. This way, the manager will see that you are also passionate about the common cause.

Fulfil your part of the “contract”

If the team repeatedly lets down the manager, misses deadlines, or fails to complete standard tasks, this only increases the micromanager's hypercontrol. He only becomes convinced that his complaints are justified, so he will never give up his usual behavior.

Important clarification: when I talk about your part of the “contract,” I don’t mean that you need to fulfill every whim of a micromanager or agree to the unattainable goals of a dyed-in-the-wool perfectionist. I’m only talking about the importance of doing your part responsibly and using this as a weighty argument in case of disagreement.

Personal experience: how to avoid micromanagement if you are a manager

Everything that concerns the transparency of processes, as well as their competent organization, can be duplicated here. If you manage a team, then first you need to create adequate working conditions.

KPI, clear planning and reporting system are a must-have for most leaders. But the recommendations do not end there – I will share a few more.

Work on your fears, anxiety and perfectionism

If you know that you have a tendency toward anxiety, perfectionism, or hypercontrol, then this will definitely manifest itself in your work. Therefore, try to intentionally monitor your behavior, reactions, and state. In cases where you cannot cope on your own, consider working with a psychologist.

And always monitor the state of your employees. If you see that your team is starting to work worse and worse, think about whether it is connected with you. Perhaps it is not that the employees have become “lazy” or “impudent”, but that you have changed the conditions in which they work.

Delegate as much as possible

Many managers allegedly delegate a task, but at the same time control every step of the employee and do not allow him to deviate from the given plan.

However, responsibility does not include punishment for mistakes. It is relevant when people are negligent and act irresponsibly. But if you punish employees for accidental mistakes or for things that cannot be foreseen, they are unlikely to take the initiative next time.

And don't forget about encouragement – ideally material + non-material. It is important to always celebrate good results, and not take them for granted. This motivates the team to cope better with new tasks.

Maintain constructive feedback within the team

Unfortunately, many micromanagers are not ready to hear their performance evaluation — and this is wrong. If you do not want to become one of them, be ready to listen and hear the team. Create conditions for feedback so that employees can calmly talk about their expectations, difficulties, and how your actions or decisions affect the team. This is important for both newcomers and for managers who already “know it all.”

Study the people you work with

The real skill of a leader is not in using the “carrot and stick” at the right time. The highest level of skill is to know the strengths and weaknesses of each employee in order to use them to achieve the desired results.

For example, a manager knows that there is an anxious person in the team who always does everything on time. And there is the absolute opposite – an employee who is not on friendly terms with deadlines, but can generate many interesting ideas in a short time. There is no point in loading the first with creative work, and the second should not be given an urgent assignment on which the implementation of the plan depends.

When a manager knows who he is working with, he can predict the team's results with high accuracy. And this means that tasks need to be monitored much less often.

Train and start mentoring

If you understand that many employees are not up to the required level, then concerns about the results are justified. But this does not mean that you need to torture the team with constant control. It is better to spend time training specialists, and then delegate more complex tasks to them.

Training can begin at different stages — it all depends on the specifics of the industry and the specific company. Somewhere training precedes the probationary period, somewhere it occurs during the onboarding process. Mentoring is also relevant when an employee changes positions within the company or grows up the career ladder.

Don't think that no one will ever do the job better than you. Think about how you can teach others what you can do yourself. This will save you a lot of energy and nerves.

Conclusion

As my experience shows, the problem of micromanagement is much more complex than it seems at first glance. I have been on both sides of the barricades and I can say for sure: at the moment, both employees and managers think that they are right, and the other side is doing something wrong. As a rule, no one acts out of spite, to ruin the life of the other – everyone sincerely believes in their own truth. And here it is important that at least one side has a desire to change everything, to enter into a dialogue and come to an agreement.

I can't say that this will definitely work. I have different cases in my experience. I have seen how micromanagers destroy strong teams, and I have seen how they grow into cool leaders who deserve serious authority among employees. As long as there is hope for the second outcome, it is definitely worth trying. But, of course, not at the cost of your own health.

Share your opinion on micromanagement in the comments. Have you encountered such a phenomenon, what was it like and what conclusions did you draw?