Handling the ‘Overstepper’: When an Employee Thinks They’re the Boss

The People Navigator ® · Dec 30, 2025 · 5m

One in three managers in a small business report having a team member who oversteps their role. In a small team, boundaries are often naturally blurry—you don't have the rigid silos of a corporate machine—but when someone starts acting like they are running the show without your permission, it can quickly undermine your authority and poison the team dynamic.

In this episode, we explore how to handle the employee who is making decisions way outside their remit or speaking on behalf of the business without approval. The goal isn't to ‘put them back in their box’ with a heavy hand, but to…