Micro manager

“Daf” writes: “What is your recommendation if you feel your employer micro-manages you and that after x years you feel you’ve lost skills rather than gained skills?”

Daf, can there be more than one answer to your question? If you were someone who was willing to just put up with it you would not have written to me. It’s time to start job hunting.

Don’t rush it. Make sure you have a job to go to. First, do a little research. Job hunting online and in this paper will show you what jobs are out there and what skills and qualifications employers are looking for. Review/update your resume and work your contacts.

Check in with your referees to make sure they’ll still be your referees and that you have their latest title and switchboard phone numbers. With your current job, see if you can find a former manager to be your referee.

The situation you describe is a double whammy – a boss who doesn’t give you breathing room as well as any training and development. You must act.

In my experience there are two reasons people micro-manage. Either something has happened to your performance OR micro-management is just their style. In my opinion, bosses who micro-manage are insecure – they are worried about making mistakes so it follows they are worried about you making mistakes.

They also have poor rapport with their team, have failed to build up trust and they are poor communicators. If only their boss was paying closer attention they might get the training they so desperately need to be an effective leader but that’s not your problem. Put yourself first and find a new opportunity.

By Kate Southam, Editor of careerone.com.au