This will be very short and sweet, but I feel it is vitally important lately…
Why are you say No?
Is it life or death? Illegal? Unethical?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Maybe you are afraid of letting go of control. FYI – if this is you, you already have a reputation for this, and your goal this year should be to change that reputation. You can do it. I have faith.
Having a reputation for having to control everything in your purview shows two things about you:
You don’t trust others.
If you do not share the knowledge, teach others, and share or give control, you are showing people in your actions that you don’t trust them. Why do these people work here if you don’t trust them in their role? If they truly want to grow and learn, and you are the miser of control as well as their manager, they will leave you, I promise you.
You don’t trust yourself.
If you don’t share, cross-train, etc., you are showing others that you don’t trust your own value in the organization that you could possibly do more than simply being the SME on this particular system or department. You know what happens in that case? You are not promotable because there is no one else to do it.
Was that your plan? Probably not.
As a recovering control freak, I can tell you it’s possible. As a leader, you must relinquish control, share, help others learn, and support them.
The next time you receive a request, give it a try. Say yes.
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