As a business coach, I am in the business of helping business owners overcome hurdles and help them grow their businesses faster than they thought possible. And as such, I have seen my share of leadership issues and problems. And if I had to pinpoint one issue that causes the most problems for business owners- I would have to say the urge to control everything is high on the list. This is what I like to call controlitis. But if we want to call it what it actually is its a behavior that traps you, the business person, the business leader, in endless rounds of doing, doing, doing. It keeps you stressed and anxious, and can really take a toll on your business and your mental health.
Thankfully there are ways to overcome this urge, but the first step is admitting that you have a problem. So today I want to go over the 3 signs that show that you might be suffering from control issues.
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You Are Anxious All The Time
You feel like the world is on your shoulders. You feel like only you know how to run your business, and no one else cares as much as you do. You feel like if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. You find yourself up late at night worrying about the future, worrying about the current projects on your plate, and whether you will meet your goals. While these thoughts are common for business owners, it becomes an issue when they become recurring thoughts consistently. When you find yourself anxious all the time, regardless of how well your business is doing, it might be a sign that you have control issues and have trouble letting go in your business.
You Cant Stop Micromanaging
You have a strong history of micromanaging your staffs work, even if its a low stakes situation that does not warrant it, where theres no real payoff for doing that micromanagement. You find yourself spending an inordinate amount of your time and leadership attention following through on things that dont make a difference in your business or your goals. And have less time to focus on the things that will really drive the needle.
You Want to Do it Yourself
Your mantra is :if you want something done right, you just have to go ahead and do it yourself. This is often coupled with the idea that you are on top of things within your business, and that you can do no wrong. Even if you have a history of having things both large and small fall through the cracks, and have a history of unfinished projects or failed goals. This desire to do everything yourself is a huge red flag that you have control issues that need to be addressed.
When you combine your anxiety, your desire to micromanage and your need to do it all yourself you often find yourself struggling to delegate anything to your team, which can leave them feeling frustrated and out of the loop. Which can lead to even larger issues down the road. If you find yourself exhibiting these three signs, admitting it will help you learn to start letting go in your business.