What's the difference between controlling and directing?

Someone who is controlling is one who spends their time trying to do everything, because they can't trust anyone else to do things their way. Often, they are micromanagers - maybe they delegate some work, but they rarely delegate the responsibility. When they do delegate work, they are always there watching over your shoulder, usually criticizing everything you do.





Someone who directs is one who delegates work and responsibility, but they keep ultimate responsibility for the final result. They often give work to others and keep all of those involved on track - making sure they meet their goals and that they meet them on time. While they expect individuals to do their part, they often allow those individuals to do things their way - basically allowing them the freedom to decide how they will achieve their goals. The director only gets involved in the smaller details if something goes wrong.





Comparing them both is pretty simple if you think of them this way:





Imagine a chef in a 5-star restaurant. The chef is ultimately in charge of the finished product - the plated food that makes it out of the kitchen. The chef, if he/she is controlling, will only allow others to do a very small, insignificant amount of work. And, the chef is constantly watching over their shoulder telling them what to do and when, instead of allowing that person to work freely and unencumbered. The work takes longer as a result, and the chef feels overworked because he/she can't trust the others to make the right choices.





A chef who knows how to direct will have one or more sous chefs. Those sous chefs will be given a task to do, and the chef will only lightly monitor what the sous chefs are doing - mostly judging the final outcome of the sous chef's work before it gets plated. They more or less work together as a team, each with their own responsibility to contribute to the final product: a delicious meal that tastes as great as it looks.





I think it all comes down to trust. The directing person has trust that the members of his/her team can do what they are assigned. The controller doesn't trust anyone to complete their tasks well and will often spend more time looking over everyones shoulder and ';helping'; them by telling them how to do everything than actually doing any real work themselves. They are often martyrs: ';oh, we had such a hard time tonight. Tons of orders came in but I had to spend all my time correcting everything!';What's the difference between controlling and directing?
Someone who is controlling is one who spends their time trying to do everything, because they can't trust anyone else to do things their way.





Someone who directs is one who delegates work and responsibility,

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