Mike Bonem
We love our neighborhood, but it was built over 70 years ago. That means aging infrastructure problems are common. The most recent event was when water started gushing beside our neighbor’s driveway from a broken water line. The city responded quickly and sent a crew to fix the leak. But what struck me was how closely our neighbor “supervised” the work. For several hours, he stood outside, keeping a close eye on the workers as if he had expertise to contribute (which he doesn’t).
Attempting to take control when we shouldn’t is a serious leadership mistake. For people in positions of authority, the lure of control is powerful. After all, leaders know the buck stops with them. It’s only a small step to go from the reality of responsibility to a misguided attempt to be in control.
If this resonates with you, consider three reasons to release the reins of control:
- Your time is a valuable resource that cannot be replaced. Time spent on any task that could be handled by someone else is time that can’t be spent on activities that only you can do.
- Misguided attempts at control are frustrating. You will be frustrated when you realize that you’ve wasted time or that control is out of your grasp. More importantly, your insistence on control will frustrate others, causing them to feel distrusted and disempowered.
- Better outcomes can be achieved. No leader has all the expertise and all the answers. Disregarding input from people with different perspectives and experiences will lead to poor decisions. Passing a task to someone who “doesn’t do it like I would” doesn’t mean their approach is flawed.
Clearly my neighbor’s efforts were futile. (Despite his “supervision,” the crew had to come back and redo the repair.) But even if control is possible, that doesn’t mean that you should step in. Organizational challenges, just like broken water lines, are an unavoidable part of leadership. The problems may be uncontrollable, but you can control whether you try to exert control.
