Taking over someone’s task because you’d do it faster teaches them they’re not trusted.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Speed is a poor reason to intervene, because the time you save now gets paid back every time that person needs you again. What they take from it is not that you were efficient; it is that their version was unacceptable. Do it twice and they stop trying to finish anything themselves. Being patient with somebody slower is an investment in not being needed.

Let somebody finish their own task this week, at their pace, even when your hands itch. If the result needs work, tell them rather than quietly redoing it. Say what good enough looks like, so they can aim at it.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Which task did you snatch back because waiting felt slow?

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