Escaping the Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome: How Leaders Can Empower Their Teams and Inspire Success

Leaders fall into traps.

And theyre not always obvious.

The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome (SUFS) is one of them.

I found myself dealing with an underperforming team member.

My instinct? Tighter control. More supervision. Stricter guidelines.

And… their performance kept sliding. Morale too.

Then it hit me. Was I unknowingly triggering the SUFS?

My well-intended actions, instead of helping, might have stifled their confidence. Reduced their autonomy.

By scrutinizing their every move, I may have created an environment where I was setting them up to fail.

To correct my mistake I did the following…

• Understood their challenges
• Set realistic goals
• Provided support
• Reinstated trust

As leaders, our actions matter. They can inspire or deflate.

Our role? To create an environment that enables success, not failure.

#Leadership #Management #SelfReflection