Leading by Micromanaging: A Masterclass

 Is He for Real…???

I’m a finance professional with 16+ years of solid, grind-it-out experience—FP&A, Strategic Planning, you name it. So imagine my surprise (read: utter disbelief) when I joined my current company only to be treated like I just graduated from Email Etiquette 101 for Beginners.

Apparently, my manager believes my emails need "training." Yes, you read that right—training. We’re not talking about business forecasts or long-range plans here. We’re talking commas, full stops, and the tone of my 'Hi, Hope You’re Well'.

My choice of words? Problematic.
My call scheduling? Problematic.
My opinions? Oh, they exist—they just get treated like spam in everyone’s inbox.

But wait, it gets better.
This same manager insists I must "lead," "own decisions," and "have a voice." A voice that gets ignored daily, like a fire drill announcement during lunch hour.

So, naturally, I tried to have a grown-up conversation. I said, "Look, I’m an experienced, qualified finance professional. I think I can manage my commas and calendar invites just fine."

His reply?
“This is our company culture. We work in a very peculiar way.”
Oh, you don’t say? Peculiar? That’s a generous word for "micromanagement dressed up as mentorship."

I honestly don’t know how some people become managers. Leadership skills? Non-existent. Soft skills? About as soft as a cactus. Empathy? Let’s just say… even Excel formulas have more emotion.

Anyway, today’s rant is about such managers—those who love the title, but forget it involves actual managing. Case in point: In today’s team meeting, we discussed a project that the manager himself ideated and the team implemented. It’s still in Beta, not even fully launched. But now that leadership is feeling the heat, guess what?
They moved the goalpost, and we’re being questioned for "failure."

And what does our fearless leader do?
Absolutely nothing. No pushback. No explanation. Just some vague nodding and redirecting the heat downward.

But of course, when it comes to internal emails, he’s got time to fix my punctuation.

Ever dealt with a manager like this? The kind that makes you question your career choices, your sanity, and the tragic fact that resignation portals have so many steps?

Here’s to all of us surviving the peculiar ones. Cheers.