This is Johanna Rothman's January 2026 Pragmatic Manager newsletter. The unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email.
Many managers think they empower their teams to solve problems autonomously. Unfortunately, that autonomy only lasts when managers feel relaxed enough to “allow” that autonomy. When managers feel too much pressure, that autonomy vanishes. Under pressure, managers try to control what people do, instead of encouraging autonomous problem-solving.
How do you react when you see no reason for this kind of control? If you're like me, you first grow resentful. You might even respond to management control with malicious compliance.
That's because the more managers exert control, the more they treat adults like children. Eventually, people respond in kind, sooner or later. No one wins. Everyone loses.
Fellow consultant Charles Lambdin offered a terrific example on LinkedIn of a manager who did not consider the consequences of mandatory in-office work, even in a snowstorm. Since there was no way for the employee to work remotely, the employee removed their work email and Teams from their phone.
Later, the manager had an urgent request. But the employee did not respond to that request. When the manager asked why the employee had not responded, the employee said, “I am not allowed to work from home.” That's malicious compliance. And, INMHO, a reasonable response to a total lack of leadership.
Managers Need to Show Leadership, Especially Under Pressure
Managers always have choices about how they lead. And when managers allow pressure to change how they lead, the entire organization suffers.
Some of my colleagues claim we can separate management from leadership. No. While other people might also exhibit leadership, managers must be leaders—that's literally the job of management.
When managers abdicate their responsibility to create a reasonable system of work, those managers stop leading. They allow the organization's nonsense to roll downhill.
Worse, when that nonsense rolls downhill, everyone's autonomy vanishes. This is not learned helplessness. This is a reasonable response to unreasonable management control.
That's why managers must consciously choose the kind of leader they want to be. Do you want to dictate your decisions to people? That creates delays and the least satisfying work environment for everyone. Worse, it creates ever more management pressure. (See One Secret to Free Yourself from the Overwhelm of Leadership Work to see what you can do about loosening that pressure.)
In contrast, do you want people to make autonomous decisions on their own, or with their team? That kind of leadership allows the fastest possible feedback loops and helps the team learn faster.
However, autonomy requires management courage and delegation. That might be very difficult in your organization.
Discover Your Courage to Relinquish Control
Managers must find the courage to use their autonomy. Often, that requires the manager speak truth to someone with more power. However, when managers exercise their courage, they can relinquish control and offer autonomy.
Autonomy occurs when people have the space to make their own decisions. If you're trying to use agility in any form, then autonomy makes even more sense for teams.
When teams take responsibility for their problems and outcomes, they can offer everyone more leadership opportunities, depending on how they collaborate. The more a team collaborates, the more likely the team can see and manage its risks. (See Measure Cycle Time, Not Velocity to see the difference between a collaborative team and a team that works as individuals.)
The more the manager can consciously delegate, the more courage they find they have. Also, the less pressure the manager feels.
That combination of more courage and less pressure can lead to much less management control.
Here's the interesting thing about more autonomy as opposed to more control. When people and teams have more autonomy, they make decisions faster. That shortens the various feedback loops and helps the team learn faster. The faster everyone finishes their work, the faster the customers can offer feedback.
Even better, no one needs to register their displeasure with malicious compliance.
Avoid Malicious Compliance
Malicious compliance is a big red flag that says, “Bad Management! Very Bad Management!”
If you start to see malicious compliance in your organization, consider your next actions. While you might feel offended, consider these ideas:
- Find someone you trust and ask them if they feel as if you have removed their autonomy. (It does not matter what you think. It's how they feel.)
- If you can't find someone you trust to tell you the truth, assume you have impinged on their autonomy.
Next, review the management time sheet in Leadership Tip #20: Consciously Delegate to Free Your Management Time. Choose how you will restore leadership in your management.
Malicious compliance occurs when adults feel as if managers treat them like children. No one needs to do that.
Read More…
This newsletter touches on topics in these books:
This is a part of the intermittent series of leadership tips.
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Links of Interest
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Johanna
© 2026 Johanna Rothman
Pragmatic Manager: Vol 23, #1, ISSN: 2164-1196