It is always sad when talented, ambitious people leave a company because they’re convinced they will never get out of the shadow the owner — but it happens all the time. It’s natural for many managing directors to use their leadership and management skills to try to do everything. Some, however, insert themselves into every aspect of the business without examining whether or not they’re making a healthy contribution.

In these cases, leaders need step back and be honest about their motivations, their egos and their impact on the business.

Getting Over Yourself

Entrepreneurs do things like re-mortgage their homes, take on debt and put everything on the line to turn their visions into reality. It’s natural, then, for business owners to try and assume a workload that’s as enormous as their investment.

However, by trying to be Superman, they can put unreasonable pressure on themselves, get in the way, and stir resentment among employees who want to be left to take on the tasks they were hired to perform in the first place.

A managing director’s natural place is in the centre of everything, but this position requires some tough introspection. Is the MD in the centre delegating and coordinating, or are they acting as a roadblock, clogging up the works and ignoring the suggestions of the people who are experts at their positions?

Sometimes, the single biggest contribution an MD can make is to admit that other people are better at some things than they are, that they can’t do everything themselves, and that they may have become the reason that the business isn’t moving forward.

Mapping the Process and Putting Titles Second

One way to get an unbiased snapshot of who is and who’s not needed in various areas of the business is to map the sales process. When it becomes clear that the common denominator across several sticking points is an overzealous MD, that leader has the obligation to step back and listen to the voices that they’ve been smothering.

Some common symptoms that an MD’s self-importance are inhibiting growth include:

• The surprise loss of key employees

• Unmotivated staff whose thoughts are often overlooked

• Poor morale among staff who feel their leader doesn’t value their opinions

• Environment is sometimes stressed because of a lack of direction and involvement

Another common problem is that leaders often develop emotional ties to titles. Let’s say the managing director is a woman who had been sales director for the last five years. Now, as MD, she realizes that no one was able to replace her as the superstar seller, that sales is in her blood and that she’d rather be out in the field selling — but she simply can’t part with the lordly title of managing director.

She should simply create a title that sounds equally lordly, focus on her core competency and allow the supporting team to flourish in her relative absence.

Great managers lead from the front by assuming difficult workloads. Hard workers take pressure off the staff and set a good example. When a leader tries to be a superhero or a martyr, however, their efforts have the opposite effect. They get in the way, they stifle growth and they stir resentment. Even worse, they sometimes steer the employees with the most potential out the door in search of a company that will respect and nurture their talents instead of stifling them.

It is never easy for a good MD to let go, but sometimes, it is necessary.