I recently had the opportunity to observe a skilled senior executive team as they effectively managed a crisis. As they went about smoothly overcoming minor issues that occurred along the way and navigating the organization back toward success, I noticed a sign hanging on their wall. This poster, in large letters, declared the rules of engagement for all crisis management meetings:
Stay in your own lane.
The intent of this simple message was clear: to remind the team of the importance of focusing on and fulfilling one’s own role within the organization.
While straightforward, this message is significant since it is common for professionals to swerve into our coworkers’ lanes in the midst of a crisis; we assume their roles, responsibilities, or tasks without permission or notice. Taking on a colleague’s work can be helpful when invited to do so, but doing so routinely or when unsolicited can be detrimental to the overall efficiency of an organization. It can even cause organizations to lose otherwise talented and valued employees.
Helping Out or Micromanaging?
According to Gallup’s 2017 American Workplace Report, 60% of U.S. employees have been rendered unable to do their work at times, in part due to their boss completing such tasks his or herself. Their bosses swerve into the employees’ lanes, causing minor crises and many delays.
While coaching executives, I have often encountered this inefficient pattern of bosses taking on their employees’ work. The guilty executives often struggle to fulfill their own duties, yet somehow find the time to take on these additional tasks.
In some cases, these leaders are simply micromanagers; they find it easier to do the work themselves and get the exact outcomes they desire than to appropriately train or instruct an employee. Other job-sharing executives are motivated by fear-based leadership. They may strive for perfection or otherwise want to avoid an employee taking credit for a project.
In most situations, such leaders are attempting to protect themselves, acting on areas of insecurity they have about their own leadership. However, along the way, they aren’t actually helping themselves, their colleagues, or their organizations—just like when one car cuts off another by moving into its lane without warning, such actions can cause accidents, irritation, and delays in the organizational workflow.
Don’t Steal Your Employees’ Jobs
While assisting an employee with their work is sometimes necessary, routinely doing someone else’s job or doing so without checking in with an individual first is an unproductive use of your time as a leader. After all, as a manager, your job requires you to do your own work as well as training your employees and then delegating tasks to them effectively.
Moreover, job-stealing bosses unconsciously rob their employees of the opportunity to learn and grow. Many ambitious employees reinforce their commitment to and passion for their jobs by making daily progress toward completing meaningful work. So, having their boss do their jobs for them can be especially frustrating and dispiriting.
And highly engaged employees probably won’t tolerate such behavior for long—they’re far more likely to find new positions or even new organizations in which to enjoy such workplace engagement.
What’s Steering You Astray?
If you are a leader who is unable to stay in your own lane at times, carefully consider what drives you to do your own work plus that of your employees. If your employee is incapable of doing the work put before them, then they’ll require additional training, or they may possibly even need to be replaced.
However, if you are doing the work of an otherwise capable employee, trust that they’ll get to their destination effectively and efficiently. Otherwise, you may very well see your employee take the next possible exit from your organization, leaving you with two empty lanes to navigate singlehandedly.