A very accurate sum up of how a culture of over-dependence can quietly take hold and how it often stems from good intentions. I’ve seen this as well in corporate environments: leaders trying to be helpful end up becoming bottlenecks and teams get conditioned to seek approval instead of taking ownership (I was also one of these people). I gave upward feedback once to my supervisor saying that the shift to clearer delegation and autonomy required him letting go of control, which, I appreciate, is often the hardest part.
Good for you for giving that feedback, Fenix. Most wouldn't risk it but when you do, you either (a) find out that your boss isn't able to take feedback and perhaps you should move on or (b) you build incredible trust because you become the person willing to speak up openly and honestly.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts! If there are ever any topics you want me to address further, feel free to shoot me a DM.
Hey! I saw your post pop up on my homepage and wanted to show some support. If you get a chance, I’d really appreciate a little love on my latest newsletter too always happy to boost each other!
Thanks for taking a gander and your support! Will definitely take a look at your latest newsletter as well. Substack is such a beautiful community of creators and writers. The support is so special!
I think when organizations are small or just starting out, it’s easier to stay flexible and move quickly. But as they grow, more policies get added to keep things on track and that’s when the red tape creeps in. The problem is, no one goes back to see if those rules still make sense. And this is probably the beginning of the attitude of well this is how we've always done it comes from.
Organizations are living and breathing organisms. They need to evolve, but yes, especially if the changes are rapid or leadership is overwhelmed, it's difficult to catch all of the elements that need to change.
It's one of the reasons why I recommend leaders take a hard look at their retention policies. Keeping people long-term is wonderful, but only if they are able to continue to innovate and maintain agility.
You are so right that when you get larger, it's harder to stay flexible, but if you have the right people in place who are aligned on this as an objective, then it's much easier to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and an adherence to the status quo.
💯 and these issues don't happen overnight. Stagnant systems happen over years or decades. But once you have those types of employees entrenched within the organization, it makes changing the status quo a real challenge.
A very accurate sum up of how a culture of over-dependence can quietly take hold and how it often stems from good intentions. I’ve seen this as well in corporate environments: leaders trying to be helpful end up becoming bottlenecks and teams get conditioned to seek approval instead of taking ownership (I was also one of these people). I gave upward feedback once to my supervisor saying that the shift to clearer delegation and autonomy required him letting go of control, which, I appreciate, is often the hardest part.
Good for you for giving that feedback, Fenix. Most wouldn't risk it but when you do, you either (a) find out that your boss isn't able to take feedback and perhaps you should move on or (b) you build incredible trust because you become the person willing to speak up openly and honestly.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts! If there are ever any topics you want me to address further, feel free to shoot me a DM.
Hey! I saw your post pop up on my homepage and wanted to show some support. If you get a chance, I’d really appreciate a little love on my latest newsletter too always happy to boost each other!
Thanks for taking a gander and your support! Will definitely take a look at your latest newsletter as well. Substack is such a beautiful community of creators and writers. The support is so special!
I think when organizations are small or just starting out, it’s easier to stay flexible and move quickly. But as they grow, more policies get added to keep things on track and that’s when the red tape creeps in. The problem is, no one goes back to see if those rules still make sense. And this is probably the beginning of the attitude of well this is how we've always done it comes from.
100% Bette!
Organizations are living and breathing organisms. They need to evolve, but yes, especially if the changes are rapid or leadership is overwhelmed, it's difficult to catch all of the elements that need to change.
It's one of the reasons why I recommend leaders take a hard look at their retention policies. Keeping people long-term is wonderful, but only if they are able to continue to innovate and maintain agility.
You are so right that when you get larger, it's harder to stay flexible, but if you have the right people in place who are aligned on this as an objective, then it's much easier to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and an adherence to the status quo.
💯 and these issues don't happen overnight. Stagnant systems happen over years or decades. But once you have those types of employees entrenched within the organization, it makes changing the status quo a real challenge.