Take Charge Without Taking Over

To have outsized influence, you need to take charge  without taking over.

When you take charge, you assume responsibility for success.  You grasp the context, understand the players, and design a path forward — without getting sucked into doing all the work yourself.

By contrast, when you take over a situation, you seize control.  You step into a one-up position — and puts everyone else one-down.  People may be glad to follow, but it’s harder to get full participation and ownership.

Once you understand how to take charge without taking over, you can design more creative ways to bring influence where it’s needed most.