Authority without limits eventually starts confusing preference with law.

Without something to push back, a person’s preferences slowly acquire the force of rules. Nobody decides this; it simply happens that what the person in charge likes becomes what is done, then what should be done, then what is right. The drift is invisible from inside because each step is small.

If you set the terms for anything, write down which of your rules exist for a reason and which are just how you prefer things. Say which is which out loud. It keeps the two from merging.