workplace - Nicole Monturo | Coaching & Development

Every new job comes with opportunities as well as turmoil. But, every new intern or employee has one thing in common – they must learn to respect their seniors. But, what if your boss is making it impossible for you to abide by his orders?

Well, most might deny the existence of such a situation. Following orders isn’t rocket science! Why would anyone have trouble meeting a few deadlines if they do not neglect work and have a taste for an organized lifestyle?

People who think the above are possibly unfamiliar with “micromanaging”.

What’s Micromanaging?

Have you ever seen people interfering with every little thing? Or worse, have you seen your boss fiddling around while you’re doing an assignment to make sure everything is in order?

Well, there’s a term for these people are doing: micromanaging. This means that the person may be incredibly controlling and needs to supervise every task performed by the enterprise.

How To Avoid An Awkward Micromanagement Situation?

We know that bosses don’t like being corrected very often, so this means that calling him/her out on this behavior is likely not the wisest of choices. On the same token, it’s not feasible to function in an environment where your boss calls you every other hour to make sure you’re ahead on the deadline (which is more than likely days away). So, how do you manage in this kind of environment?

Here are a few of the tips you need to know to handle your micromanaging boss:

Don’t start a fight – When you find your boss sitting in a chair near your cubicle to make sure you’re working on a report, try to calm yourself. You might be boiling in anger but it’s not prudent to have an outburst at the place where you get your paycheck. People management isn’t everybody’s forte, and your boss isn’t an expert on people. Hence, it might be so, that he or she is a little too eager at this task. Be patient with your boss.
Try to consult your boss – One of the signs of micromanaging is to expect consultancy from your employees. So, to avoid their micromanaging skills to take a toll on you, take advice from your boss as often as possible.
Keep them updated – Tell your boss how far you are in your work. That’ll help them to understand that you can meet the deadlines without them having to bother you constantly.
Report any problem – If there is a discrepancy in meeting with a deadline, communicate that to your boss, beforehand. But, mostly, try to do the work on time.

Try to handle people patiently. That’ll help you keep your job and your dignity.

The world is evolving by the hour. New forms of technology, medicine, etc. are becoming prevalent and there’s a need to update software every day for everyone.

Now, we know that millennials, the youth of the 21st century, are attached to technology more than people. So, people who belong on social media all day must be frustrated when they have to use mental math instead of a calculator (on their phone).

Therefore, it isn’t surprising that today’s youth, who want a quicker way to understand the string theory, will find a Pentium 2 an insult to their intelligence. So, let’s understand what makes the youth tick.

Why Do We Need New Tech That’s Hi-Tech?

We’ve heard why employers think millennials to be a waste of human resources because of their volatile nature, impatience and short-term employment goals.

Just to get a different perspective, let’s consider the problems faced by millennials in the workplace:

Outdated and incompetent – Now, youngsters today have a tough time shopping outside the comfort of their homes. Even the grocery supplies have been covered by BigBasket and other such apps. So, it’ll be confusing for millennials when you expect productivity while having slow and 10-year old internal software pieces. It’s a well-known fact that most computers at the workplace have Windows 8 as their OS, whereas youngsters have the habit of functioning on Windows 10. The best way to avoid conflict is by consulting with younger employees about the troubles they’re facing; they might even be eager to update your software for you!

Management gets senile – If you’ve graduated from Harvard, top of your class, you’d definitely want your voice to be heard. Sometimes, the workplace does not provide you with such opportunities. More often than not, people management is handed over to aged people (in the name of experience) who have extracted all they can from their workplace and just want some stability. So, they do not prefer hearing about new ideas and reforms that will help the business grow. Instead, employees are pressured to stick to previous business models, showing how truly toxic the mentality “that’s the way we’ve always done things,” can be.

Less act, more tact – The companies that pretend to be “progressive” and “driven” look great on the outside. That’s what attracts the youngsters to them. But, on entry, they realize that there’s more talk than walk, strategizing to expand is always occurring, and there’s no progress because entrepreneurs do not feel the need to act on it.

So, it’s probably evident why impatience is becoming one of the tags that a millennial has to live with. To help a business grow, it’s not just the experience that helps, but also the dynamicity.

Nicole Monturo is an accomplished executive and leadership expert.

Tag: workplace

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