A great way to keep staff under control is to ensure that you reprimand them — nicely, of course — for little things to do with protocols and procedures. This helps them understand the way things should be done and act in a way that helps you fulfil your incredibly important role.

Naturally, at times, there will be times when you refine processes by streamlining or even by realising that the opposite of what has been the process until now would be better. When you inform staff that this is now the way, and not the way you previously said, some might complain about inconsistency or confusion. Be firm, and simply advise them that in the spirit of continuous improvement things have to change and that they need to ‘get with the program’.

It’s true that some people can lose confidence when, over time, they are given instructions which appear to contradict each other. There’s no need to be concerned about that to any great extent. You might get more interruptions with people asking you to confirm how you’d like things done; but, as long as you deal with their enquiries quickly, you have the advantage of knowing what they’re up to. Overall, this has the advantage of giving you general overview of activities and maintaining your control and status.