One of my executive coaching clients told me she thought she intimidated her employees. They didn’t ask many questions and were somewhat reluctant to tell her about their mistakes or failures. She hadn’t heard any new ideas in months even though she had installed an anonymous suggestion box.

As I continued to delve deeper into the situation, I found out that she rarely asked her employees any questions or solicited feedback. She was quick to criticize, give orders and micromanaged “important projects.”

The president of her organization referred her to me because she was a high potential, extremely bright, fast rising star. He was impressed with her ability to think strategically about business growth, but felt she lacked the skill and experience that was needed to fully engage her employees.

As I continued to work with Angela, I discovered that she was had her own fears. Angela was worried that if she didn’t micromanage, there would be errors and she would be held accountable. She really wanted to have a smooth career path “to the top.” She hadn’t been asking for feedback or ideas from employees because there was a concern that there would be a deluge of participation and she would lose control.

Because of her fear of letting go, she was actually losing control of her career.

Once she made these realizations she was ready to become a leader. We created a process that enabled her to connect with her employees and start to change the culture in her organization to be more inclusive of new ideas and different work styles. Employees feel more included, and have a deeper relationship with the business. She has begun to develop a workplace community where people are more willing to participate, and contribute new ideas and innovation.

In order to create an inclusive environment where people can do their best work and enjoy what they do, leaders need to listen and allow employees to make mistakes and to also succeed.