A very effective approach and strategy is to over-communicate at all times on your progress. Don't let managers chase you for information. The best employees always prepare to provide ongoing updates and are great at keeping people - their boss - in the loop.
How? It can be quite simple.
In a sales role, every week communicate your plans i.e. “I have follow ups with A, B, and C companies for sales calls. X, Y and Z have closing appointments scheduled. I’ll be cold-calling in company X in the mid-week.”
Send it on Friday night or Monday morning. Don't presume your manager knows information. Sending a slack with limited detail is not enough. You need to know how and what information they need; how they like to consume it. Ask them what's valuable. Ask them what level of detail they need to understand momentum.
Think about how to 10x your current comms - over-communication is key (people always think they communicate well but the vast majority are average at it - what to you do now and 10x it). It is an excellent way to avoid being 'micromanaged'.
Your manager never has to worry about items being dropped, never has to worry about context - this is king and gives them peace of mind. If you work to give your boss peace of mind. You will see a stark difference in trust, check-ins and asks for updates. They have them before it's asked.
That's why, one of the main reasons a boss micromanages is from a lack of complete information.
If you can fill this information gap you are going to solve this problem.
And it has to be ongoing and consistent!
> Other ideas:
+ Send an agenda before every 1:1
+ Send takeaways and actions notes after each 1:1
+ Send an update every Friday
+ Send an update every Monday
(Think of the times they will worry - Friday morning, have we had a good week? Sunday evening, how does the week look? Monday morning, how will we execute this week?). Share your communication before these thoughts happen.
This simple approach shows your boss that you are on-top of everything, into the detail and transparent. It will create the foundations for a trusting relationship. It will give you the space you are craving.
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