People skip my managers and come straight to me. Now what?
Someone walks past their manager and comes to you. You say yes. It feels fast, it feels kind, it feels like leadership. It is none of these things. It is you choosing to be needed over choosing to be right. You built a structure so decisions could be made without you standing there. Every time you decide instead of redirecting, you tell that structure it doesn't count. You cannot complain that your managers lack authority while you spend it for them, one yes at a time. This is not about the people who skip the line. They will always try the shortest path. This is about you. You keep the door open. Only you can close it.
You are not being loyal when you answer them — you are being lazy. Every direct yes tells your managers they don't matter. The fix is not a better yes. It is no answer at all: send them back, every time, without exception.
What changes unlock by starting
- Fewer people come to you first, because it stops working
- Your managers make real decisions, not decorative ones
- You spend less time deciding things that were never yours to decide
- The people who skip the line learn where the line is