Picture a snowplow forging ahead on a snow-covered road, clearing every obstacle so other vehicles and people can move behind it without disruption. Now imagine a manager who adopts this same approach in the workplace—removing every challenge, shielding their team from difficulties, and constantly stepping in to ‘help’. This is the essence of a ‘snowplow manager’. On the surface, such an individual would appear to be the epitome of supportive leadership. In reality, however, such people can become barriers to employee growth, critical thinking, and long-term organisational success.
These managers, often driven by a desire to protect or expedite outcomes, may not realise the long-term consequences of their actions. What starts as a gesture of care and responsibility slowly morphs into overbearing interference. Employees stop learning, stop taking initiative, and worst of all, stop believing in their own abilities. The result is a fragile ecosystem where performance becomes manager-dependent, and innovation dies a quiet death.
Intentions that backfire
Snowplow managers typically operate with good intentions. They believe they are helping their team by being proactive and removing roadblocks. While this involvement is well m meant, it often spirals into micromanagement. According to Ravi Kumar, G-CHRO, Puravankara, “Every manager thinks it’s their duty to solve the employee’s problem. But sometimes the employee doesn’t need a solution—they need space to think, reflect and solve it themselves.”
“Every manager thinks it’s their duty to solve the employee’s problem. But sometimes the employee doesn’t need a solution—they need space to think, reflect and solve it themselves.”
Ravi Kumar, G-CHRO, Puravankara
In their eagerness to resolve issues swiftly, such managers often undermine the very learning processes that enable growth. When employees are constantly rescued from discomfort or complexity, they lose the chance to develop resilience and problem-solving skills. Over time, employees internalise a sense of inadequacy and start relying solely on their managers for answers—even when they are capable of finding solutions themselves.
What keeps this dynamic going is that it becomes mutually rewarding. Managers feel validated and important because they’re solving problems. The employees feel safe because decisions are being made for them. However, this comfort zone breeds dependency. “This habit becomes mutually rewarding—the employee gets a quick fix, and the manager feels needed,” Kumar explains.
“If you don’t develop leadership, you will always face blame games. Good outcomes are shared but when things go wrong, everyone points fingers.”
Rishav Dev, head – talent acquisition, Century Plywoods
Rishav Dev, head – talent acquisition, Century Plywoods, likens this to a parent who cracks open a chick’s eggshell. “You don’t raise a strong bird that way—you raise one that can’t survive on its own,” he says. When people are deprived of struggle, they are also deprived of the competence and confidence that come from overcoming adversity.
As a result, the organisation suffers. Projects stall in the manager’s absence, decision-making slows, and people begin to fear failure because they’ve never been allowed to face it. Innovation becomes limited because employees avoid taking risks without their manager’s endorsement. Over time, this leads to stagnation—both for individuals and for the business.
“You won’t know who the boss is and who the subordinate is. Tasks are being done, but ownership is vague, outcomes are blurry, and performance becomes hard to measure.”
Emmanuel David, senior HR leader
When managers take on all the responsibility, they inadvertently strip their teams of accountability. Dev notes, “If you don’t develop leadership, you will always face blame games. Good outcomes are shared but when things go wrong, everyone points fingers.”
In such environments, no one owns the problem. Employees get used to being told what to do and feel no urgency to step up. Leadership becomes associated not with guidance, but with control. This not only leads to confusion about roles and responsibilities but also weakens performance management.
Emmanuel David, a seasoned HR leader, remarks, “You won’t know who the boss is and who the subordinate is. Tasks are being done, but ownership is vague, outcomes are blurry, and performance becomes hard to measure.” The longer this continues, the harder it becomes to instil accountability or encourage independent thinking.
How to spot the snowplow trap
One clear indicator of a snowplow culture is the over-reliance on managers for every small decision. Kumar warns, “If everyone goes to the manager for every small decision, you have an epidemic on your hands.” This kind of environment is often marked by team members who frequently seek direction with questions such as, “What should I do?” instead of coming up with their own ideas. They tend to avoid taking initiative or exploring new approaches, and their ability to function often seems tied to the constant presence of the manager.
In the manager’s absence, they may feel lost or paralysed, unsure of how to proceed. When outcomes fall short, the blame is typically shifted onto the manager rather than being owned collectively. Additionally, such teams rarely challenge assumptions or bring fresh perspectives to the table. If these patterns are consistently visible, it’s a strong sign that the team has not been empowered to think independently—and that’s often the direct result of snowplow management.
Coaching over controlling: Ask, don’t answer
The antidote to snowplow management lies in a shift from control to coaching. Instead of jumping in with solutions, great managers learn to ask the right questions—ones that guide employees to think critically and arrive at their own answers.
Kumar offers a simple framework: “Ask questions such as—Why do you see this as a problem? What impact will it have? Is this a one-off issue or a recurring one? What have you tried so far?” These questions don’t just extract information—they provoke insight. They encourage employees to pause, reflect and analyse, leading to deeper understanding and better decision-making.
This approach shifts the manager’s role from that of a firefighter to a facilitator. As Kumar puts it, “Sometimes the employee goes back with a thought they didn’t have earlier. The questions lead to insights, which lead to growth.” When employees are given space to explore solutions, they grow more confident and self-reliant.
Cultivating independent thinkers
The ultimate goal of managers should be to cultivate leadership at every level—not to create clones of themselves. They need to nurture employees who can function with independence and clarity. This requires a mindset shift—from ‘How can I solve this?’ to ‘How can I help them solve this?’
Dev explains, “Managers must steer clear of the temptation to stay relevant by overhelping. If you want leaders to emerge, step back. Let them endure the struggle.” Leadership development isn’t about comfort; it’s about building capability through experience, challenge and reflection.
This doesn’t mean abandoning support—it means offering the right kind of support at the right time. It’s about understanding when to step in and when to step out. “Don’t over- or under-delegate,” advises Dev, stating, “Leadership is about knowing where the balance lies.”
Empowerment must be more than a value statement—it has to be embedded into the organisation’s culture. This requires alignment at all levels, especially from senior leadership. Organisations must train managers in coaching skills, developing performance metrics that reward empowerment over control, and creating psychological safety for employees to take initiative—even if they fail. Unless the culture encourages experimentation and self-direction, managers will continue to default to control.
As David rightly observes, “Today’s employees want to figure it out themselves. That’s how we all learned—by doing, by failing, by succeeding.” David recalls an incident from his own career that captures this philosophy— “Once, I had to negotiate rates for Olympic cards. I asked my boss, ‘What should I say?’ He simply replied, ‘Do what you think is right.’ I was stunned—but I went ahead, negotiated the deal, and later realised I had it in me all along. That single experience taught me more than any instruction could.”
The most powerful growth happens not in comfort but in challenge. Leaders who trust their teams enough to let them fall—and rise—are the ones who build capable, confident and future-ready organisations.
Being a snowplow manager may feel rewarding, but in the long run, it does more harm than good. Employees need opportunities to think, decide, fail and learn. They need guidance, not constant intervention. Above all, they need managers who believe in their ability to figure it out.
Therefore, the next time an employee comes to you with a problem, resist the urge to bulldoze the path for them. Instead, walk alongside—ask the right questions, offer perspective, and watch them grow. As David puts it, “Sometimes, all you need to do is say, ‘Figure it out.’” That is how leaders are born.