What a vivid way of evoking the image of the hard working, focused bees – and how their efforts can so easily be disrupted.

Dale Carnegie’s words seem blatantly obvious: “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick the beehive.”

Yet how often have you built something beautifully humming – and then gone and kicked it?

The Busy Beehive of Leadership

Imagine you’ve done the tough work of getting a solid team together that knows its goals. Roles are clear – and resources allocated appropriately. Everyone’s working together like a well-tuned hive – the buzz of energy, harmony (most of the time) and positive energy fill the air.

And just as the honey starts to flow… you swoop in.

• You “only want to help.”
• You “have a few thoughts.”
• You “wonder if they could do it this way instead.”

And before you know it, the hive is buzzing with a different energy: agitation, confusion and angst.

Kicking the Beehive

There are three classic ways in which you might be meddling:

• Micromanaging. Rearranging every honeycomb “just to be sure it’s straight.”
• Misrepresenting. Presenting the honey as your creation – rather than showcasing the worker bees.
• Misdirecting. Offering, ‘’have you thought of doing this?’’ Non-essential ideas that sound well-meant, but cause everyone to question their work and start flying in the different directions.

And why do you do this? Not because the team’s not working well, but because there’s something ‘’off’’ within you.

The Desire to Meddle

It might be ego – but more likely it’s unmet values, beliefs or needs.

• You love learning, but don’t have a project of your own to stretch you, so instead of developing one, the easier route is to tinker with someone else’s.
• You value teamwork, but feel a little outside the action, so you insert yourself.
• You believe in freedom, but feel constrained by the current demands on your time – so you express your “freedom” by disrupting the team’s well-laid plan.
• Or worse, you love a challenge, but you’re stuck in uninspiring work, so you (un)consciously create drama, just to ignite the thrill of a problem to be solved.

How can you resist kicking the beehive?

When you’re about to fly into action, can you hover midflight – pause – and recognize that shift? Maybe it’s a shift in feeling, energy or a thought that’s kicked in.

• When you feel the urge to jump to action, perhaps wonder: ”What value will I create if I step in – and which value of mine isn’t being met right now?”
• When you’re restless or critical, ask: ”Is this about the team, or about me?”
• And when you feel depleted, remember: ”Even bees rest – especially the top performers.”

If you’ve created the climate for a high-performing team, appreciate yourself: What are you doing well to keep the beehive upright, happily focused and buzzing productively?

A final thought. Sometimes, you don’t just disturb your team’s hive – you disturb your own. You overthink, overwork, overcommit. The same principle applies – don’t stir what’s already in flow.