Boss likes to micro-manage?

Use questions to get to the 'why' behind the 'what' and help you both get to a better outcome.

If you’re unlucky enough to have a directive boss - one who enjoys telling, rather than asking - practice asking ‘why’ in meetings with them too. Use questions to get behind the initial instruction and understand what they’re really looking to achieve. By digging in you can work with them to come up with an even better plan or, at worst, you’ll end up with a clearer understanding of what they want you to do. Here' s a few questions you can use to get started:

What’s your next step after I’ve done this?
Who’s the audience for this? Am I making it for you, or for you to share?
What decision are you looking to make?
What’s driving your deadline?
How important is this compared to [something else you’re working on]? Why is that?

When your boss likes to give you instructions, it can be hard to ask them for help. You might want them to help you explore a problem together. You might get an instruction for what do next instead. When you have a problem you need your boss’s help with, ask them to ask you questions. Make it clear that you’re looking for help with the solving the problem, not for the solution itself, and that questions will help open up your thought process and make it easier to spot alternative options. Try something like, “I’ve got a challenge I could use your help figuring out. I’m not looking for a definite answer, I just want to talk through my thought process. Can you help?”