When you as my manager actually forego the credit of leading a project and give that honor to me, you are my hero and best friend in one.  When you give me the lead on a project but are actually pulling the strings from behind the scenes, I will probably never take on anything you give me ever again.  Why?  Because while you may tell me I’m in charge, allow me to schedule and lead meetings, and deal with all the participants myself, you are the one still making the decision at the end (or, worse, making the decision but making it seem like it was mine) and that’s 110% insulting.

At least when I work for you normally, I know you’re the boss and am not surprised if and when you make decisions without consulting me… Here, you are actually insulting my intelligence and dignity.  I’m really not that gullible as to believe I’m in charge if I see that you still are trying to be.

Managers, here are signs that you are a Puppet Master:

• You are consistently asking the Staffer in Charge what the conclusions of the last meeting were.  The fact that you can’t trust your appointee to even spot the big ideas is a problem.
• You feel the need to gently remind the Staffer to schedule follow-ups or you frequently ask what the next steps are.
• You are the one to present the project’s conclusions to management, even if you disclaimer it by saying your Staffer was the one responsible.  By being the presenter, it allows you control over how the conclusions are phrased, which, if you’re a clever talker, gives you the power to alter those conclusions.

It’s not about credit, so don’t think that if you tell your boss that I have tirelessly researched and concluded something we’ve never discussed and you just thought of, that I won’t mind.  That’s kind of how winning after you’ve cheated feels — yeah, getting the recognition is nice, but you just feel kind of dirty afterwards.  You know that it wasn’t all you.

For most managers who do this, it’s a control issue, not a maliciousness issue.  On the contrary, most of these managers really want to give responsibility to their staff but they’re so used to having all of it, that they can’t break the habit.

My suggestion to managers who notice that they have a tendency to do this is this: start small.  Take a small task that you can part with and give it wholly to someone else.  Wholly.  That means all of it.  Beginning to end.  Don’t butt in and try not to ask for too many updates.  Then try to give a slightly bigger project or one that you are personally more attached to.  However, until you can are comfortable delegating something small, don’t move on.  No peon likes a micromanager and no one (except may be the von Trapp family) wants a puppet master.