Last week, we discussed American politicians and their flaws. Oh… And we also talked about how you’re exactly like all of them—no exceptions. It’s just a matter of degree.

Now, I’ll give you a real-world example to compare against your own business problems.

I have a group of about ten mid-level managers I meet with twice a month. Their problems include overwhelm, employees needing too much supervision, and lack of staff engagement. Sound familiar to what you’re experiencing? I thought so.

Guess what? They don’t reliably show up to the meetings. Many don’t answer my messages. I had to give them an assignment to tell me how they’re going to get more engaged and threatened to tattle on them to their managers if they don’t respond. I’m sure they didn’t like it. Neither did I. I had a short stint as a babysitter in my teen years and it wasn’t for me.

I supervised them, but I named it so we could move past it. I call that meta-supervision, and it’s the path to end this kind of immature behavior. The behavior is actually quite normal, but that doesn’t make it okay!

The vast majority of managers exhibit the very dysfunctional behaviors—and coordinating business problems—they complain about.

Again, it’s just a matter of scale. Are your people pilfering office supplies? Or spending company funds carelessly?

What about you?

Is your company paying for your personal car? Are your tax returns “creative”? Do you expense a few random sushi dinners each month?

You do it, too.

Do your people make excuses when you hold them accountable?

Have you been making excuses in your head since you started reading this series? Do you always dig to find how and why you break your word?

You do it, too.

Do your people complain about not having enough time to get everything done? Do you ever utter the words, “I don’t have time.” Ever?

Do you make the time to develop your people as professionals? Budget? Vision?

These are all incredibly common business problems. And yes, you do them, too.

Next time, we’ll discuss how to move past this important revelation and create change.