That awkward moment when your boss steps into your lane

If you lead a team, you probably know what it's like to be caught in the middle — managing your people on one side, dealing with senior management on the other.

You understand your team’s work inside out, but sometimes senior managers step in and make decisions that slow things down, confuse priorities, or undo progress.

When leaders above you step into your lane, it’s easy to take it personally. Most of the time, they’re just trying to stay on top of things. But it still makes your job harder.

Left unchecked, this dynamic burns out good leaders, confuses teams, and wastes everyone's time.

When Oversight Becomes Overreach

Some level of oversight is normal and expected. But there's a point where it crosses into overreach:

• Senior leaders who don't know the technical details start directing the work

• Your team processes get changed without discussion

• Senior managers bypass you to talk directly to clients or staff

• Small decisions need approval from above, slowing everything down

• Priorities change suddenly and your team scrambles

These actions usually come from good intentions — wanting to be across things, assurance, or visibility. But the impact is real: trust erodes, progress slows, and you spend more time managing up than leading forward.

What You Can Do About It

You can't control how other people lead, but you can control how you respond. Here are a few small shifts that make a big difference:

1. Talk about impact, not emotion. When something goes wrong, it's tempting to say "You're micromanaging" or "This is frustrating." Instead, focus on the business impact: "When reviews get delayed, my team loses momentum — can we agree on a set turnaround time next round?" Keep it about the work, not the person.

2. Ask clarifying questions. When someone steps into your territory, don't assume you know why. Get curious: "What part of this do you want visibility on?" "What would make you comfortable delegating that decision to me?" Curiosity lowers the temperature and shows you're proactive, not defensive.

3. Document decisions. After any conversation where roles or processes get discussed, send a quick follow-up: "Here's what we agreed and next steps..." It keeps everyone aligned and prevents the same conversation happening again next week.

When It's Happening Right Now

Sometimes you get blindsided. A senior leader jumps into a client call or overrides a decision you've already made. In that moment:

• Take a breath and ask: "Help me understand what you need here"

• Don't jump straight to defending your decision - just listen first

• Then redirect: "Let me handle this and come back to you back with you on how it goes"

The key is staying curious instead of getting defensive. It buys you time to think and shows you're being thoughtful, not reactive.

The Bottom Line

Leading from the middle can be exhausting work.

But here's what changes everything: the moment you stop defending your space and start defining it clearly, the chaos settles.

And something interesting happens — trust starts building again. Up, down, and across the organisation.

Because leadership was never about having all the power anyway.

It's about having clarity on what you're responsible for and the confidence to own it completely.

When you know your lane and communicate it well, everyone else can stay in theirs too.