This behaviour is not uncommon in far more mundane situations. I have worked with many managers who micro-manage staff because they do not believe them capable of doing certain tasks. When these people then fail in a task, they take that as evidence of their lack of ability, to justify why they need micro-managing in the first place. Such managers never examine their own contribution to the issue. If these staff were not micro-managed and were given the opportunity to learn and grow, some may well be capable of far more and would in fact relieve the pressure on said ‘over-worked micro-managing’ manager. Few of us would identify ourselves as this person, but we do often fail to appreciate how our own behaviours contribute to our issues.
What would I like to see change in others?
How might my current behaviours and actions contribute to the issues?
How might I test a new way of operating?