Recognising Micromanagement at Work

My Personal Experience

Hello Everyone!

A few years ago, I joined a (venture capital backed) niche tech firm. Given that the idea behind VC owned tech is to generate high growth and encourage innovation, I was excited by the energy and the hands-on mindset.

I did expect some oversight because of investor expectations and the high stakes but things started going into over-drive. I began to feel overwhelmed. The level of control was stifling.

It dawned on me that I was dealing with a culture steeped in micromanagement and this week, I am going into the signs that helped me recognise what was going on.

Here goes…..

Constant Approval Check-ins

One major thing that struck me was the gruelling cycle of approvals that was in place. It was as if every small decision had to be signed off by multiple management levels and it felt excessive, given that the whole idea was to value ‘agility’.

I remember once, for instance, that I had to draft an email for my team on a process update which had, already been signed off. Still, I was required to get approvals from the Head of Sales, the CFO and even a VC advisor.

I initially thought that this was standard process but it started feeling like a trust deficit and, as a result, I started second-guessing every move that I was going to make.

Obsession with Minute Details

There seemed to be a company wide obsession with honing in on the smallest details rather than focusing on the high-level strategy of the organisation.

Minor issues, like colour schemes on slides, were often critiqued during senior management meetings.

Such hang-ups slowed down progress and drained the problem-solving enthusiasm that we needed to hit our targets.

Limited Autonomy

Despite my experience, I felt as if there was a sense of unease when it came to giving me ownership of projects.

On one occasion, for instance, I was assigned to draft a Quarterly Review Report but every change required input from the higher-ups, which often turned into revisions through and through.

My Manager could have empowered me to manage/lead the project but he regularly re-drafted whatever I did.

This made me feel like a cog in a giant machine and I began to lose motivation.

No Space for Innovation

Tech firms are usually associated with innovation and with encouraging new initiatives. I however, found that whenever I suggested a new approach, I hit a wall. I was repeatedly told to stick to established processes and approaches.

“How things have always been done” seemed to be an official mantra. This killed my drive to seek efficiency gains within existing processes and, eventually, I stopped sharing new ideas.

I did, eventually, give up and started looking for a new job. These signs, however, made it crystal clear that an environment defined by micromanagement was limiting my productivity and the potential contributions that I could make.

While it’s not easy to strike the right balance between oversight and autonomy, the openness towards changing things is what makes the difference.

AI Image, generated with Dall•E by me