Citation (IEEE): R. Stayer, “How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead,” Harvard Business Review, vol. 68, no. 6, pp. 66–83, Nov. 1990.
What it argues
The CEO of a family food company describes his realization that his own controlling style was the main obstacle to his company’s performance. He recounts the long, uneven process of transferring responsibility for quality, scheduling and even hiring to front-line workers. His conclusion is that leaders must change their own behavior first, set a clear vision, and accept that real ownership takes years to build.