A lot of managers end up turning into controlling obsessives. Here’s why.
Sometimes, lots of leaders and business owners like myself live from the fear of. The fear of being afraid can be summed into one phrase:
- “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done right…”
- But that’s not all. It’s also a thought:
- “They’re going to screw up!”
- “I don’t believe in them.”
- “I’m the smartest person. The other guys don’t.”
There’s even the fear: “What if we teach our children everything, and then they go away?” This is why we are being the control freaks. We are eager to be everywhere: HR or PR, we’ll can think of it. We’d like to be aware of every aspect of the company. We would like to participate in all decisions.
Controlling all things out of fear an indication of a poor leader. In fact, I used to be a terrible leader, too. I was once an over-control person. However, four years ago, it was the time I took my hours of work–50 hours per week x 52 weeks – and divided the amount I earned by. I was stunned. The number was tens of thousands of per hour.
Why was I spending my time in low-value things like checking my emails when I could have contracted out? I told myself “I’m likely to never do something else for less than this. Unless I enjoy it.”
As I look back to how I managed my business at the time I made the first $100K, as opposed to the first million dollars I made I knew it was time to quit. Trust and delegate. This is especially true if you are really looking to grow your enterprise.
The difference in your first $100K and the first $1 million.
The first time you make $100K, you’re taking care of everything. You build the business entirely all on your own.
Your first $1 million Your systems and employees take care of most of the tasks. They are actually controlling the results. They help grow the company to benefit you.
If I went on a holiday at the start of managing my company I noticed that the spout was off. I had no money coming in. Today, whenever I go to a destination, my spillway is always open because I’ve developed routines, operating procedures as well as checklists that keep the company running efficiently.
In order to train your employees, and create systems for them it is essential to manage your calendar. This will take time off. In order to make time for yourself then you must…
Do not try to accomplish all the things
There’s no way to be all things to all people. You can, however, do it, but the business will not grow.
It’s hard to transition from being a controlling person to being an effective leader. Here are some strategies to change the way you think about your actions and help you conquer your anxieties.
- “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done right…”
- If you’re looking to get things properly done, then Build. The. Systems.
- “They’re going to make a mess of it!”
If employees aren’t able to screw up, they’ll never improve their performance. Learn from their mistakes and ensure that they don’t do the same thing again. Find out how to conduct difficult conversations with your employees and not demotivate them.
“I don’t believe in them.”
If you don’t let them fly on their own How do you know? This is sure to appear like a broken record however, you must create procedures and checklists that let them understand what their KPIs are and can be held accountable, by bringing you up-to-date in discussions. In the case of senior positions, you should choose people with expertise and experience, as well as the ability to make better choices that you do.
- “I’m the smartest person. The other guys don’t.”
- If they’re not competent, then how did you get them first in the beginning?
- “What do we do if we show them everything they need to know and they quit?”
What happens if you can teach your employees everything they need to know and they stick for a while, then they turn into the top employees in your company? What is the value to your business?