Losing Control

If you are being asked to do more, take on more, it is because you are a problem solver, you get results and you are seen as someone who can adapt and overcome. In short, you are a leader in the eyes of your organization, and it feels good. But organizations change; it may happen when they are experiencing major growth and expansion, or top-level leadership switches out. When this happens, the pressure is on the leaders with a proven track record like yours. You will receive more responsibilities, maybe more staff, and additional projects. Sometimes you may feel like you’re losing control. Change and growth can be overwhelming and as a result your default might be to fall into the older leadership techniques used to build your success in the first place. The “Whatever It Takes” approach was good in the beginning, but defaulting to a mindset of just working more hours to get it done can do damage to your own carefully grown leadership abilities – not to mention the ones you are developing.  

“No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.” ~Andrew Carnegie

The art of growth in your new role is not about control, but accountability. Control is about micromanaging a project, touching it, staying close to it, nursing it and knowing what is going on every step of the way. Accountability is about growing others to be more responsible and letting them manage the process and the results. Don’t worry, you’re still responsible, the buck does stop with you as a leader, and it is up to you to figure out how to manage it. It is arguably easier to say “I will work more hours” but beware of what the future may hold if you go down that path. There will be longer days with more stress and your team won’t get some needed management growth. Letting them gain accountability does not make you any less valuable. You will always be needed and may have to step in at times, but ultimately you want to grow your leaders’ abilities and skills, allowing them to be extremely successful and accountable.

Once when I was given two additional departments to run, the temptation was to work longer hours to make sure everything goes the way I wanted it to go. I did that initially but recognized I couldn’t do it all every day we were open. My bosses never suggested I hire a department head to run each area, but that’s what I did. They expected me to figure it out.

Instead of holding everyone accountable in these departments, I held the department head I hired accountable. It was a development step for me that in hindsight paid off. Teaching responsibility and accountability through leadership is a better practice than doing it all yourself. If you feel like you are losing the results you were expecting, it is time to review the expectation with your new department head and get on the same page. If you go and do his or her job for them, you are doing no one any favors, just prolonging the inevitable. Maybe you picked the wrong leader or need to clarify the expectations.

I read a few years ago that Warren Buffet meets once a year with his top leaders and gives them a one-page summary of what is expected of them. Then he gets out of their way. After one year, he meets and reviews the results. He holds one person accountable. Picking the right leader is just as important as getting out of the way.  

“You can’t make a good deal with bad person.” ~Warren Buffett

Keep cultivating your leadership!

Jeff