If you have ever had a boss who over manages (AKA micromanaging), then you know first-hand that their actions communicate a lack of trust in your professional ability. Instead of feeling encouraged and independent, you feel limited in your ability to be independent at work. Over-managing interferes with the ability to actually get the job done; the constant monitoring on the part of the boss deprives you of learning how to be self-sufficient and developing good judgment and ingenuity as you work to get projects and assignments completed.

There are many reasons why a manager would over-manage; bad history, trust issues, a hyper sense of responsibility, and an over-the-top need for control. It really doesn’t matter why because you are not a psychologist and work is not a therapy session. The goal is create an environment where work goals and objectives can be successfully accomplished and you can develop professionally and handle increasing levels of responsibility.

If you want the behavior to stop, try negotiating some of the following strategies:

• Send daily email updates of critical and essential work assignments.

• Hold a weekly call/meeting arranged that can serve as a progress report.

• Identify critical milestones that are not negotiable including specific dates for review

• Determine deadlines and soft-deadlines (when an items is due for review that is prior to the actual deadline)

• Establish how a need for support and guidance will be communicated

• Agree on clear and attainable standards for success so that work can meet those standards. (What does success look like? How will it be measured?)

Closely scrutinizing and over managing employees is not the best use of a manager’s time. It is more effective if follow-up correlates with an employee’s ability to do the work rather than the manager’s need for control. If you think your boss can and should back off a bit, negotiate a process that works for both of you. The outcome can lead to a better work relationship and a better work product. Those are definitely good results.

Joni Daniels is Principal of Daniels & Associates, a management training and development consulting practice that specializes in developing human resources in the areas of leadership and management training, interpersonal effectiveness and efficiency, skill- building, and organizational development interventions. With over 25 years of experience, she is a sought after resource for Fortune 500 clients, professional organizations, higher education, media outlets and business publications. Joni can be reached at http://jonidaniels.com