Takebacks

A quick favor. A special exception. A problem you know you could fix faster yourself. Work you’ve delegated can return a little at a time until people depend on you again.

Learn to recognize takebacks at every stage, including the ones that seem perfectly reasonable in the moment. Before stepping in, pause, check the boundaries, fix the playbook, and retrain where needed while keeping the owner in charge.

Understand when an escalation needs your attention and when you’re taking the work back. Use a quarterly audit to catch the drift before it becomes a habit.