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Micromanaging Mike

Long ago I was a leadership development internal consultant at a major company.  I would talk with senior managers to see if they wanted to launch training projects for their department.  These projects would require a lot of time from them and their managers.  They needed to be convinced that the project would pay off.  Usually they were skeptical.

My boss, Mike, would want to hear all the details after I met with a VP.  He would then tell me exactly what to say at my next meeting.  I felt he did not trust me to make he right moves.  After I had a track record of several successful projects,  I came to detest what felt like his “breathing down my neck.”  I asked Mike to give me some leeway, but he refused.

After putting up with this micromanagement for over a year, I finally went to Mike’s boss to complain and ask for more breathing room.  Mike’s boss pointed out that I really could do anything I wanted since Mike never accompanied me to these high-level meetings.  All I really had to do was put up with Mike’s supervision and then do exactly as I pleased.

This was not the answer I wanted.  However, I realized that it was true.  I just decided to be more patient with Mike who always to the end wanted to tell me exactly what to do.  I could not change Mike, but I could change my reactions to Mike, and I did.  I learned to enjoy my actual freedom and put up with Mike.  He eventually moved on to another place.

Copyright © 2009, by William R. Murray, President of Eagle Alliance Executive Coaching, LLC.  Reprint rights granted to all venues so long as this article and by-line are printed intact with all links made live.