Tag: Working Better With Other People

Micromanaging can be toxic in the workplace.

Many bosses don’t even realize they are actively practicing micromanagement.

Managers often fall into this role due their expertise at the tasks their subordinates are performing. After all, their ability to excel at such tasks is likely what got them promoted in the first place. Occasionally, a manager feels more comfortable with these tasks than he does with the more complicated ones he now has assigned to him, so he will fall back into the habit of doing them. This is where micromanagement begins to reveal itself.

One popular business voice, author Ron Ashkenas, discussed this phenomenon in the Harvard Business Review, where he stated: “At higher levels managers usually need to dial down their operational focus and learn how to be more strategic. To do so, managers have to trust their people to manage day-to-day operations and coach them as needed, rather than trying to do it for them.”

As a business owner, manager, or employee, you should never take the practice of micromanagement lightly. While it may seem harmless, it is actually much more than a minor quirk in the functioning of the workplace. Micromanagement causes employees to perform poorly, and managers to avoid more important work.

Thankfully, you can avoid falling into this trap by listening to the advice of two important authoritative voices on the subject: Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile and psychologist Steven Kramer. Through detailed research, they helped determine how to avoid micromanagement and they discuss this in their book “The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.”

Speaking on the negative effects of micromanagement, the authors state: “When people lack the autonomy, information, and expert help they need to make progress, their thoughts, feelings, and drives take a downward turn — resulting in pedestrian ideas and lackluster output. Managers panic when they see performance lagging, which leads them to hover over subordinates’ shoulders even more intrusively and criticize them even more harshly — which engenders even worse inner work life.”

So it can be a vicious cycle.

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In their work, Amabile and Kramer lay out 4 ways bosses become soul-crushing micromanagers:

1. They Don’t Allow Autonomy

People work best when they have some sense of freedom and confidence in the work they are doing.

While a boss has to be careful about how much freedom and oversight is used, avoiding the feeling of being overbearing is of utmost importance.

In fact, one of the best bosses researched in “The Progress Principle” made his workplace run better by placing simple, clear goals for employees to reach, while avoiding any kind of imposed requirements on how the goals were achieved.

This allowed employees to have motivation for reaching their goal, without feeling stressed out and frustrated by minute manager imposed rules.

2. They Ask, But Don’t Assist

Many micromanaging bosses will constantly pester employees about their performance/progress, often taking over a task instead of helping them understand how to do it better.

This demoralizes the employee and hurts their confidence in being able to perform their job in the future.

Focus must be placed on helping employees become better at their job, not simply doing it for them in frustration.

3. They Blame Quickly

Nothing demoralizes employees faster than feeling that they were punished or accused of a faulty performance.

Instead of jumping to conclusions or focusing to much on who is to blame, managers should be thinking the situation through and looking for a way to guide an open exploration of causes and possible solutions (along with the employee).

This will avoid a situation where employees are reluctant to approach the manager for help when things go wrong.

4. They Do Not Openly Discuss Their Own Work

Micromanaging bosses are often so busy looking at the work of others, that they don’t give enough thought to, or share enough information about their own work.

This blocks their own growth as professionals and also denies employees access to the bigger picture and knowledge of how their work fits into the puzzle.

We all have our bad habits. Some are worse than others. Rank your top 3 work habits that you dislike in co-workers.

We have all experienced a scenario where a co-worker or employee makes a mistake that causes either other employees or the customer grief.

While mistakes are not to be taken lightly, they will happen from time to time.

Being not only effective in correcting these scenarios, but also knowing how to handle your co-worker with respect is important. When done appropriately, you should be able to salvage the situation as much as possible, keep your relationship to your co-worker pleasant, and ultimately help the entire team grow stronger.

So, the question is, how do we react when a co-worker or employee has made a mistake?

Although frustration is the natural response, especially in scenarios where the mistake has the potential to be very costly, it is important to use your energy towards constructive measures and criticism. Simply blowing up on, or dismissing the co-worker outright, has the potential to make the situation more difficult to handle.

Not being harsh does not mean the employee or co-worker is free of blame. In many scenarios, a simple reprimand may be beneficial and appropriate. It will allow the employee to realize their mistake and build themselves up toward avoiding it in the future. Additionally, being able to express your frustrations in this scenario will help avoid stress and grudges.

Some bosses and co-workers, however, may take a less direct approach: compassion and curiosity. With this approach, the individual would suspend judgment in the moment in favor of coaching and future practice suggestions.

While both scenarios seem reasonable at first glance, what does research point towards as being the best option?

Ultimately, it says that being compassionate in your handling of employee and co-workers mistakes provides the best results.

Compassion can build loyalty in a team, as well as a sense of trust and belonging. Psychological research into the matter shows that positive relationships and work environments hold more weight in how a person views the satisfaction of their position than does their paycheck. A study by Jonathan Haidt of NYU showed that employee devotion can lead to the further admiration of a manager, and a positive work environment can lead to a better customer experience.

Anger and frustration, such as reprimands, have the potential to erode loyalty and create harmful self-doubt in workforces. Although they can potentially lead to learning experiences, they can also lead to embarrassment and feelings of ill-will. In his best-selling book Give & Take, Adam Grant (a professor at Wharton Business School) demonstrates that these feelings of ill-will can ultimately come back to haunt the workplace or the boss.

Increasing the stress of a work environment hurts creativity, workflow, and morale. Negative or angry responses are sure to lead to increased stress and a lack of confidence in your workforce. Environments of fear and anxiety cause our brains to feel unsafe, which is the worst quality any company could have. Adam Grant reflects on this situation by stating that employees are less likely to take creative risks “when you respond in a frustrated, or furious manner.”

Anger has its place, as it can lead us to stand up to unfair situations. However, putting this anger and frustration towards your employees and co-workers is very rarely constructive. Being compassionate and curious is almost always a better option for the workplace.

Three simple steps can help you respond in a compassionate and appropriate manner next time you find yourself in such a situation: reflect, consider their viewpoint, and forgive.

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Reflect

Being calm enough to handle the situation in an emotionally appropriate manner is of utmost importance. Taking the time to chill for a moment can also give you a small window in which to consider the weight of the scenario.

If you rush into a reaction, you risk over-reacting or simply misunderstanding the situation entirely. Additionally, simply pretending not to be angry when you are bothered, is not convincing nor helpful.

Research into the subject has shown that conversation in this state tends to raise both persons’ heart rates, making for a much more stressful environment. Ultimately, keeping an appropriate amount of emotional detachment is the best strategy.

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Consider their Viewpoint

They may have a valid point within their mistake, and even if they do not, empathizing with an individual will make it much easier to confront them.

Most of us know what it’s like to be in a lower position, dealing with intimidating superiors above us, so try and remember that feeling when confronting someone about a mistake.

Studies show that taking a detached viewpoint can help you see details you missed and make interactions go more smoothly.

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Forgive

Empathy and forgiveness will ultimately strengthen your relationship with employees or co-workers.

A productive and happy workforce is bound to be more successful than one that is bogged down by insecurities and constant second-guessing.

Additionally, less stress will lead to less sick days being taken.

Dr. James Doty, Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, points out that compassion over aggression does not let “them off the hook.” Instead, he suggests this compassionate response allows them to realize their mistake without having their confidence and work abilities destroyed.

Dealing with difficult co-workers can have several negative effects on your career and your health.

People who purposely (not always though) make your job more demanding create excess stress that can lead to hypertension and, eventually, serious heart conditions. Bad co-workers also tend to stand in your way of getting your job done to the best of your abilities. This limits your career mobility and can prevent you from getting the success you deserve.

There are several effective ways to deal with difficult co-workers that can help you to deal with a situation, patch up a disagreement, or simply get on with your job. Sometimes it takes a lot of willpower to avoid confrontation, but it can be worth it when the result could be that you become your difficult co-worker’s manager and decide their career fate.

Avoid That Co-Worker

If you are dealing with a difficult co-worker that is not in your department and not a part of what you do, then simply walk away from that co-worker and ignore them. When you do not rely on someone to get your job done, then you can do whatever is needed to limit your contact with them and get back to doing your job.

Set The Criteria For Interaction

The Today Show reminds us that we are in control of our work habits and we should exert that control with difficult co-workers. For example, if you have a co-worker that likes to linger and just visit you at your office or cubicle, make time for them but then remind them that you have to get back to work in two minutes. If you have an important meeting to go to, then go to your meeting or remind the lingering co-worker that you will be leaving your office to go to that meeting. This allows the co-worker to say what is on their mind, but still allows you to get your work done.

Find Underlying Causes For Bad Behavior

While it is not your job to be the office psychologist, you still need to find ways to deal with a bad co-worker that are constructive to both of you. Instead of getting into a confrontation with a bad co-worker, you can address the issue directly by asking why their behavior is so negative. Do they not like you? Are they under stress from their manager? Is there a situation they are involved in that angers them and they just take it out on you? Find out the cause of the conflict and you may be able to come up with a way to turn a bad co-worker into a valuable ally.

 

Going To Management

No one wants to be that person who complains to management about a bad co-worker, but everyone has their limits. If you are being prevented from doing your job and you have tried everything you can think of to diffuse the situation, then it is time to go to your manager in confidence and get an official resolution to the situation.

Sandbox Advisors has professionals on staff who can advise you on the best way to handle difficult co-workers and get the most out of your career. Give us a call and we will help you to put together a career plan that will remove all of the obstacles in your path, including belligerent office mates.