I have worked with leaders who are naturally very high on control. That need to be in charge has propelled them to their current level of success and has now become the trait that is slowing them down. They can’t manage everything and everyone anymore and their company starts to falter. Top performers leave because they don’t like being over-managed and productivity declines as the team is looking to the leader for all the answers.
Control is a funny thing. We need a certain amount to be in a leadership position, too much and we become the dreaded micro-manager hovering over our team member’s shoulder; too little and our team doesn’t know where we are headed.
It’s a balancing act in some respects. We need to evaluate every situation separately, understanding how competent the manager is at the task at hand and decide how to proceed. Too much direction for a capable manager and we will de-motivate them; not enough guidance for the new manager and they are lost.
Every leader can improve in this area if:
a) They’re self-aware
b) They are motivated to change
c) And they are open to new ideas or strategies
As we work together to develop a different management style, we see the change in the team. Managers become leaders and employees are more engaged. Success is now measured by the quality of the decisions made by the team, not the leader.