Weekly Q: How Do We Handle a Difficult PTO President?

We have a president but he doesn't seem to care if the group has a different idea about how to make things for events. It's really his way or the highway. We have a good group of people that I don't want to get discouraged about being on the PTO. We need these people. What can we do?

Craig writes:
Your president is a micromanager. Unfortunately, that's not uncommon and the typical result is exactly what you describe -- people get turned off and involvement declines. As involvement declines, the micromanager's belief that if it weren't for him, nothing would get done becomes reinforced. To stop this spiral, you have to talk to the micromanager about the effect his actions are having. This can be a touchy conversation -- it's important that you approach in an unemotional way and simply as business rather than a criticism of his personality. It's possible that he doesn't really know how to manage effectively without micromanaging. Share the article Change Your Micromanaging Ways with him. And before you talk to him, I'd recommend reading How To Deal With Difficult People. It will help you to prepare, depending on what his reaction is. Good luck!