Need to keep on top of everything?

• Why is this important to you?
• Are you motivated by positive benefits or a need to avoid something unpleasant?
• Is it the risk of mistakes and you getting blamed?
• Not being able to answer every question your boss asks?
• But, the more you over-supervise, the less motivated are your team members. The less motivated they are the more mistakes they will make. And the more mistakes they make, the more you are convinced you need to keep on top of them. A vicious circle - caused in the first place by your own management style.
• How can you break out of this self-defeating pattern?
• Be aware that changing any entrenched pattern will take time as people adjust to new rules and expectations. So, you might see more mistakes at first, before your team begins to take more personal responsibility.
• Is it your boss's fault for managing you this way? Is it the culture?
• If you cannot change them, the question remains: What can you do differently? How is this a leadership opportunity for you?
• However much others are to blame, pointing fingers will not solve problems.
• If your boss wants instant answers, how can you better manage his/her expectations?
• Instead of complaining, can you make a business case for using you differently?
• Better still, how can you show your boss that giving you more room to move will better enable you to meet his/her needs?