Acronym

Self-awareness is a good thing, Brian, as is a spouse you trust, but, you must be exhausted. I learned long ago that you don't need all the answers, just the right questions. I helped dozens of Type As dwith a half day course on coaching, giving them a different model for mentoring. It worked. They think I am a genius. I am not, just a recovering MBA.

Asking for help is the first step...okay that was a joke. Good luck.
Cheers
Ann Oliveri

Quality control freaks I like (within reason). Control for control's sake? Not so much.

But I've always wanted us to come up with a better term than "freak." Somehow that just doesn't work.

I think the language we use around this is telling. You talk about letting go, but that almost begs u to examine grabbing on. Looking at our own behavior in both moments is probably worth pursuing.

I love this post, Brian! I definitely have some control freak tendencies, but I think I've gotten them under control in recent years. It's OK to delegate and not do everything yourself! And I love hearing other people's ideas - collaboration is always a good thing. A lot of times I get too stuck on my own idea and can't see other possibilities.

Love this post Brian - I think there is some control freak in all of us (as association professionals) - we want to do what is best and we often feel like we have do it because of our experience/expertise, etc. - but we have to remember that others have the experience/expertise too and it is in collaborating that the true progress is made (it has taken me a while to get to this point) :)

I think those of us who tend toward the "control freak" nature have to force ourselves to constantly ask this question: "What's the worst that would happen if we did (or didn't) do X?"

Unless the answer to that question is "we could go bankrupt" or "people could die," then there's probably at least some room to take things a little less seriously and "let go," as you say.

I think I've been trying to convince myself that I'm not a control freak (or rather, more of the "quality" control freak that Jeffrey mentions), but I think it's time to face up to the truth! :) Part of this seems to stem from being a relatively new manager (but gosh, it's been over two years so that probably doesn't quality as new) and I haven't completely settled into the role. I'm overseeing tasks/programs that I used to perform myself and while I realize there's more than one way to skin a cat, there are certain details that can't be overlooked. Does anyone have any suggestions/strategies for someone trying to more fully embrace a leadership role? I'd like to think that I trust my colleagues (employees) to do the best job they know how, but I just don't seem to be acting that way.

Hi all, thanks for the thoughtful responses! Its great to get some feedback on these posts, and don't worry, we aren't freaks, we are mostly normal ;)

Lauren...I can say that you have hit it on the head related to taking a leadership role, you must trust the people you are working with...sometimes they will fail or make mistakes, and sometimes they will surprise you and impress you...one good idea that I've learned (and need to apply more often) is to be hard on process, soft on people...meaning focus on removing the barriers that keep your employees from acheiving what you've laid out for them, let that occupy you...also, another helpful tip I've received is to lay out your vision and ask them to achieve it, and tell them what NOT to do, instead of telling them all the things they can do, give them some freedom to figure that out on their own...

I can say from my own experiences that it is frustrating and painful to hold on to aspects of work that you used to do that another person is responsible for...I did that for a long time, and found myself doing it subconciously, not fully realizing how critical I was...finally, as a constant reminder, I printed off a single sheet of paper that said 'Step Back'...the staff laughed at me and thought I was goofy and maybe didn't fully understand why I had that sign in my office, but it was a concious and constant reminder to take a breath and let go---it actually feels nice when you do so...just throwing out some ideas, would love to hear what others think!

Lauren, 'The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey' is a good book on how to manage tightly without micromanaging. It helps managers keep control (!) while managing using results, which is always better than trying to manage the task itself.

Thanks for a great post Brian.