(Because hovering doesn’t build trust - it builds tension.)
🐾 Cats Don’t Carpool: The Leadership Blog Series
Herding Cats, Managing Chaos, and Leading with Less Hiss
If you’ve ever tried to teach a cat to do anything on command, you already know: micromanagement doesn’t work. Cats do things their way, on their timeline, and only when they trust you.
Humans aren’t much different.
When leaders hover, nitpick, or overcorrect, it doesn’t motivate employees - it smothers them. Teams stop taking initiative, creativity shrinks, and innovation curls up under the desk for a nap.
So if you want your team to thrive instead of tiptoe, here’s the playbook - cat-style - for leading without micromanaging.
🐈 1. Give Them a Safe Territory
Cats (and people) need a defined space that’s theirs - a place to make decisions, experiment, and feel ownership.
In leadership terms: set clear boundaries and expectations, then step back.
Don’t hover over every email, slide deck, or idea. Let your team know what success looks like - not how to get there.
🪶 Try this: “Here’s the goal. I trust your approach - surprise me.”
🐾 2. Watch Quietly Before You Step In
A good cat boss observes before reacting. If you jump in every time someone fumbles, you teach them to wait for you - not think for themselves.
🪶 Try this: Instead of immediately fixing something, ask:
“What have you tried so far?”
That question alone builds confidence and critical thinking.
🧭 3. Praise Progress, Not Perfection
Cats don’t care about flawless form - they care about momentum. A team that feels safe making mistakes will learn faster than one that’s afraid to act.
🪶 Try this: Celebrate attempts, not just outcomes.
“Hey, that didn’t go how we expected, but I appreciate how you handled it.”
🐕 4. Be the Calm in the Room
Micromanaging often comes from anxiety - the leader’s fear of something going wrong. But calm is contagious. When you show steady trust, your team mirrors it.
🪶 Try this: In moments of chaos, take a breath before you intervene. Ask, “Is this about control or clarity?”
🐈⬛ 5. Let Them Come to You
Cats will seek you out when they need guidance - if they trust you’ll respond without judgment. Teams are the same.
🪶 Try this: Hold regular check-ins that feel supportive, not surveillance-based. “How’s everything going?” can do more than a detailed report.
🐈 Final Meows
A good Cat Boss doesn’t chase productivity. They create trust.
They set the environment, give autonomy, and resist the urge to meddle.
Because when your team feels ownership, you don’t have to chase results - they’ll come to you (probably after a stretch and a snack).
📘 Cats Don’t Carpool: They Come in Their Own Accord explores more lessons in leadership, trust, and letting your team thrive without the hiss.