Do You Wear the "Obey Me" Hat?

I have a baseball cap with the words “Obey Me” written across the top. It’s part of a team activity in which the participants may choose to follow the instructions on various hats placed on team member’s heads. Invariably, everyone follows the leader with the “Obey Me” hat — whether the “leader” wants them to or not. This tendency to defer to the leader weakens the team’s work. The team is missing out on worthwhile contributions. Decisions are essentially “done deals.” No one feels particularly satisfied with the end result. Try these techniques to overcome the “obey me” syndrome.