I used to be a hub-and-spoke manager. I thought my job was to be at the center of the work, to hold together all of the related parts, and to be the information broker between the spokes. I shared only enough information with each person to enable success in her/his piece. I didn’t want to burden “my staff” with extra details that were not directly relevant to their work. The truth is that I liked having control.

As work became more complex, my ability to hold it all together became more challenging. I became a workaholic, and my health suffered. Then, I started reflecting on my hub-and-spoke approach, and realized that trying to be the only one holding the work together was not only harming me, it was disrespectful toward the people I was supervising, and it was risky for the organization.

Slowly, I began to make changes in my approach. I took myself out of the middle of projects and communications. I started sharing the bigger picture with everyone who had a role. I shared ownership of the work, and asked people to actively engage in decision-making. I began to see myself, not as the hub, but as one of the spokes with responsibilities to coach and facilitate connections.

As a result of this subtle but significant change, my stress reduced because I was no longer solely responsible. Employee engagement rose because I stopped making every decision and micromanaging every communication. The quality of the work increased because many brains were participating in the decisions. “What do you think?” and “Does this make sense to you?” became common questions uttered by everyone on the team. I began to understand the power of collaboration over command-and-control.

If you are a hub-and-spoke manager/supervisor, or if you work for one, I encourage you to find ways to change the model. Engage everyone in the bigger picture, and ask everyone to participate in decision-making. If you want better results and joy at work, don’t perpetuate a boss-centric work culture.

For more radical ideas on how to make the workplace more effective and enjoyable, see my book, Management Culture, at memgculture.com and on Amazon.com.