Managing Micromanagement Triggers

Previously, we talked about minimizing micromanagement triggers, but the reality is few people will have a 100% success rate. In other words, they're not going to avoid being triggered to micromanage ever again. That means you still need to know what to do when you feel triggered.

The biggest secret to successfully managing your micromanagement behaviors once you've felt the trigger is to slow down and act more intentionally. At its root, micromanagement often isn't very logical. It's an emotional response. It's similar to when you're having an argument with someone and you get caught up in the heat of the moment and say things that you regret later. In that case as well, the trick is to slow down. Since micromanagement doesn't have to be logical, today we'll talk about using a logic tree framework that injects logic back into the equation.

The Logic Tree Framework

Recall that micromanagement triggers often are expressions that something is going badly or that you think someone is wrong. The logic tree framework will help you see whether or not this is actually true, and if so, what action you might want to take in response. For example, do you always need to jump in to correct them?

The logic tree framework that we'll use has a lot of steps. This is intentionally designed to force you to slow down. Now, as you're just learning and practicing this framework, you probably can't mentally go through all the steps during a synchronous conversation. So you might have to ask, "Hey, I'd like to give this some thought. Can we check in later?"

That could feel really awkward. But trust me, if someone is being micromanaged by you and especially if you've already had the conversation with them that you're looking to address your micromanagement behaviors, they really will love the respite. It's a lot better to take this approach than to risk getting caught up in the heat of the moment and saying or doing something that you'll regret because it reinforces your micromanagement over time.

The goal is for you to capture the essence of the logic tree framework and run the mental exercise during a synchronous conversation. That said, I always encourage people to remember: slowing down and acting with more intentionality is almost always a good idea when it comes to interpersonal relationship building.