Small change: seek to influence, not control

As organisations grow, effective leaders tend to make the shift from a command-and-control approach to one that is focused on inspiring and enrolling people.

This is a healthy shift. Beyond a certain size, almost all organisations become too big to control. Influencing rather than controlling also enables greater levels of autonomy within the workforce, which can speed up decision-making.

But challenging times can create a perceived need to revert to a ‘command and control’ style. In reality, at such moments ‘inspire and enrol’ is critical to sustaining high performance. You cannot do it all alone — especially when times are tough. There is always too much to do.

Something to consider: where might a lack of control not result in things spiralling out of control?

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