I've Watched This Pattern Destroy Good Teams. The Managing Partner Never Sees It Coming.
I’ve watched this pattern play out more times than I can count.
The managing partner is good at what they do. Built a solid practice. Cares about their team. Works hard.
Things are going pretty well.
Then something stressful happens. Tight deadline. Difficult client. Major case development. Something that really matters.
And that’s when the pattern kicks in.
The Zoom-In Reflex
When things get stressful, the managing partner’s instinct is: zoom in.
Take more control. Make more decisions. Check more things. Override things they previously delegated. Step into the details and make sure everything happens the way they think it should.
It feels like leadership. Being hands-on. Staying engaged. Making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
But here’s what’s actually happening:
They’re teaching their team not to think.
The Flat Spin
The more the managing partner zooms in, the more the team waits to be told what to do.
The more the team waits, the more frustrated the managing partner gets that nobody’s taking initiative.
The more frustrated they get, the more they zoom in to make sure things get done right.
It feeds on itself.
And the managing partner can’t figure out why their team isn’t more independent. Why they have to make every decision. Why nothing happens unless they’re directly involved.
What It Looks Like on the Surface
Here’s the thing: on the surface, everyone looks busy.
Lots of activity. Emails flying. Meetings happening. Work getting done.
But underneath there’s a dysfunction the managing partner can’t see because they never stop long enough to notice it.
People aren’t thinking ahead. They’re waiting to see what the managing partner will say. They start something, then pause before finishing it to check if the direction has changed.
Because it usually has.
The Exit Interview They Never See Coming
Then one day the best performer walks in with their resignation.
The managing partner is shocked. “I didn’t see this coming. They were productive. Reliable. Good at their job. I thought everything was fine.”
Exit interview tells a different story:
“You kept changing your mind. I stopped trying to think ahead because you’d just override it anyway. I found a place where my thinking actually matters.”
What the Managing Partner Was Actually Teaching
Every time they overrode a decision: “Don’t bother thinking this through, I’m going to change it anyway.”
Every time they stepped in to “fix” something: “Don’t try to solve this yourself, just wait for me to do it.”
Every time they zoomed in under stress: “When it matters, I don’t trust you.”
And the best people leave.
Because high performers don’t stay in places where their thinking doesn’t matter.
The Pattern I Recognize
I see this pattern because I’ve done it too.
Caught myself doing it just last week. Project under pressure. My instinct: take it back. Make the call myself. Stop trusting the process I’d set up.
The difference is I caught it.
Because I know what happens if I don’t. I’ve seen it too many times with clients.
The Stress Test Nobody Talks About
Here’s the pattern worth watching:
When things are calm, the managing partner delegates. Lets people run with things. Stays out of the details.
But the moment stress hits, they zoom in and take over.
And that’s when the team learns the real lesson: when it actually matters, you’re on your own.
So they stop investing in thinking things through. Why bother? When it gets important, it’ll get taken back anyway.
Something Will Interrupt This Pattern
For some managing partners, it’s losing someone they can’t afford to lose.
For others, it’s:
- Burnout that makes the decision for them
- A health issue that forces them to step back whether they’re ready or not
- A client crisis that exposes how dependent everything is on them
- The realization that they’re 62 and have no succession plan because nobody can replace them
Something WILL interrupt this pattern.
You can spot it early and choose what to do about it. Or you can wait until it chooses you.
The Question Worth Asking
When things get stressful, what do you do?
Do you zoom in and take more control?
Do you override decisions you previously delegated?
Do you step into the details because you don’t trust your team to handle it?
And if you do: what are you teaching them?
What Would It Take to Interrupt This?
Stop once. The next time stress hits and your instinct is to zoom in — stop. Ask yourself: “What would happen if I didn’t?”
Not forever. Just once.
See what your team does when you don’t step in. See what they’re capable of when you give them room.
What would it be like if your team could handle the stress without you taking it back?
What would it be like if they kept thinking when things got hard instead of waiting for you to decide?
What would it be like if your best people stayed because their thinking actually mattered?
That’s not a hypothetical. That’s what happens when you interrupt the pattern.
Beyond the Practice Grind publishes most weeks. If this made you think about your own zoom-in pattern — or someone you might be about to lose — feel free to forward it.