How do you deal with a manager you don't agree with?

f*** him
If you smart you can do what you’re doing anywhere

Well, I would go up in your chain of command, if you can, and talk to her manager about this issue. If this doesn’t help, try actually talking to her about it.

Pick your battles.
It’s not easy being a manager and telling your manager how to do their job is always a career limiting move.

How long has she been your manager? You said she flipped everything you know from the past, so I’m assuming not very long. It sounds like she really isn’t a bad manager -”She will go to bat for us, should the need arise”, but she just needs to settle in a little more and get used to the way things work. And I think you too need to try and except some new change, its bound to happen no matter who your manager is. Like @The_Compassionate_Heretic said, learn to pick your battles, and fight for the important things, but let some things slide to. If you love your job, hang in there and stick with it and hopefully things will improve. Best of luck.

@Jaylea I was a manager. It’s a tough job. However, I was never a micro-manager. It’s not my style.

My husband’s had two micro-managers in the past couple of years. He’s found it best just to answer all of their questions/concerns before they bring them up. If you know every Monday your manager will talk budget, get the numbers together and present them on Friday-etc.

Do it her way before she even asks for it, and then polish up your resume in case she still tries to micro-manage you. In any case, doing things her way will at least teach you another way to approach your tasks and you might end up using some aspects of her approach in the future.

I work on positive reinforcement and once had a manager who didn’t know how to use this tool at all. So I started asking specific questions. Not all the time. Not more than once a month. I would simply ask ‘Did I do that project right? I really want to make sure I’m doing my job well”. It helped me stay there longer and not want to blow a fuse.

in this economy you might just want to put that string on top of your head and pull it up, down, up down. while your’e looking for another job on your pc at home

Assessment time:
Is your boss being credited and rewarded for her behavior?
Do your boss’ bosses support her?
How long on average have other team members been under her supervision and have the majority of them ‘moved on’ or been promoted?

That’ll kind of let you know where you stand.

Do many people you work with feel this way? If she’s driving people away it could be an HR issue.

Just like you need feedback, your manager needs feedback as well. You should let her know that her management style doesn’t exactly work for you, because in the past, you’ve been trusted to get the job done and have performed.

I’m all for open and honest communication in the workplace and think in fairness you should give her the opportunity to correct her behavior before you go over her head. She may not know how you are perceiving her. Also, you can always lead by example – regardless of your position on the food chain. When her assumption is that something has been done wrong I would just say…“Well, I usually try to assume it’s been done right before I jump in and make corrective action” and other neutral statements that clarify your more positive position.

I also agree with the suggestion about the economy. Unless you have a soft place to land, I’d do what I could to make this issue work until you’re absolutely certain she won’t change. Plus, you never know how or where people will move in an organization. If you love your job, it may be worth it. If you don’t think she’ll change and will be in this role for the long-haul, then move on.

I was a manager once and it was particularly difficult to get used to the social side of being a manager. For the praise bit, she may think highly of your work but it may not occur to her to tell you. It may take time for her to realize that.
As for the “her way or the highway,” you’re probably just going to have to get used to that unless you can give a good, calm, discussion on the opposite for certain policies, again picking your battles wisely. I’m new to the “grown-up job market” but if my workers had calmly told me they were unhappy with my style of management, I would have tried to change it to accommodate them. Maybe you should try talking to your manager, nicely? But for some changes, you probably are just going to have to deal with it.

I think going over her head first is a low-blow. Trying talking to her first.

I would pick a specific example of a situation you don’t like, and make an appointment to talk to her about it. This may open up in to a general discussion of why her style is not working for you. If she is fair and has a good sense of humor, you may be able to nudge her to a more productive management style as it pertains to you.

If you try that a few times and it doesn’t work, either suck it up or polish up the resume.

You don’t. Get over it. Figure a way around it.

Or MIGHT BE time to move on.