These days, it is much more likely you have a relatively disengaged boss who is guilty of undermanagement. Some bosses are absolutely convinced that they are too busy to meet with you. Or maybe they are convinced it’s just not necessary and they simply do not want to meet with you.
But what if your boss wants to spend too much time with you?
Maybe you have a supervisor who wants to spend a bunch of time shooting the breeze, or who makes efforts to be your best friend, therapist, or unrequested mentor. If you’re in this situation, there are four things you should do:
- Talk about the work.
- If anything other than the work is being discussed, don’t engage.
- When there is a break in the conversation, go back to talking about the work.
- Take notes every time that boss starts talking to you.
After applying these strategies, if the problem persists, be a little more straightforward: “I have to be honest, I’m pressed for time right now and need to focus on my work.”
When your one-on-ones go on for too long
If your boss is great about meeting with you regularly one-on-one, but the meetings go on forever, make sure you bring an agenda to the meeting to keep it focused on what you have done since the last meeting and what you plan to do until the next one. When it’s time to wrap up the meeting, show the notes you’ve taken during the meeting to your boss: “So, this is what I’m going to do next…” Then, agree on a time and venue for your next one-on-one.
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When your boss wants to meet too often
If you have a boss who wants to meet too often, you need to develop a relationship of trust and confidence with that manager by quickly building a track record of fulfilled commitments. At first, meet as often as your boss requests. In each meeting, spell out a set of clearly defined goals and promise to deliver on them by the next one-on-one meeting.
Then, deliver. Keep close track of your goals in writing and monitor, measure, and document your achievements as you deliver on them. Start expanding on the process and make longer-term work plans with schedules of goals and deadlines. Report on your progress in writing regularly to this manager. The strong likelihood is that it will become increasingly obvious to your boss that you can meet less frequently.
If you suspect you’re working with a micromanager
The good news is that when managers manage too closely, usually you can help them realize that pretty quickly. When a manager works closely with you and watches you learn and grow over time, usually they will step back. You need to help that boss practice the real art of empowerment: Help them figure out the goals, guidelines, and timelines that are appropriate for you with each assignment.
If you deliver on a small goal with a short deadline and meet all the specifications required for that assignment, then you can usually get your boss to delegate a more ambitious project to you. As you demonstrate your proficiency, you can convince your boss to gradually increase the amount and importance of the work assigned to you until you reach the appropriate scope of responsibility for you. Once you reach that point, focus your one-on-one meetings on getting an ongoing review of your work and how to improve it. Over time, you will be able to accept responsibility for even bigger, more complex projects and your boss will learn to step back.
