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Does your manager hate to delegate tasks? It might sound like a good thingafter all, that means less work for you. But, just like having a micromanaging boss is no fun, having a manager who takes on much of your work can create a work environment that is both stifling and unproductive. We asked three experts about what causes some bosses to act this way and how to encourage your supervisor to step aside and allow you to do your job. What is a snowplow manager? A “snowplow manager” is a supervisor who takes on excessive work themselves rather than delegating to their team, says Frank Weishaupt, CEO of videoconferencing tech company Owl Labs. His team recently came up with the term, says Weishaupt, after noticing this trend in management, which resembles snowplow parenting, where a parent removes as many challenges from their childs life as possible. Signs that your manager is snowplowing can include micromanagement, not letting you lead projects or calls, excluding you from meetings with senior leadership, and stepping in to do work they had previously assigned to you, says Jennifer Dulski, CEO and founder of software company Rising Team. Another telltale sign your boss is snowplowing is that they rarely delegate meaningful tasks to you. Instead, they hand off smaller, administrative work to your team while they handle bigger, more significant projects themselves, says Weishaupt. Rather than empower workers with self-reliance, snowplow managers often request constant updates and check-ins, showing their lack of trust in their team. He says they will use phrases like “I’ll just handle this,” or “It’s faster if I do it.” Why some managers act this way According to Owl Labss 2024 State of Hybrid Work Report, the trend of snowplow managers likely stems from managers worries about their own job requirements and expectations. The study revealed that managers stress levels are 55% higher than non-managers, says Weishaupt. Respondents said they were concerned about their teams productivity and employee engagementparticularly among workers who are hybrid or entirely remote. Good managers help remove obstacles for their teams, but removing any and all adversity reports may encounter will hinder their teams development and success. When managers hog the work, they strip away learning moments, says Annie Rosencrans, people and culture director at HiBob. You lose the chance to problem-solve, build resilience, and grow your skills. The short-term relief isnt worth the long-term setback to your career. So, whats causing managers to behave this way? For some, their own reputation is a top priority. Some may be concerned that poor results will reflect badly on them, especially in high-pressure situations where the managers supervisor expects a lot from them, says Weishaupt. Other managers may not trust their team to complete tasks to their standards. And, finally, they may believe that its just easier to complete a task themselves. Efficiency can also be a misleading motivator as some managers convince themselves its faster to handle a task themselves than explain how it should be done, says Weishaupt. The impact of potential layoffs Fear of downsizing can play a role in driving snowplow managers, experts say. As layoffs increasingly become a looming threat, managers can feel intense pressure to demonstrate results to protect both their team and their own position, says Weishaupt. At organizations that emphasize short-term results over long-term team development, snowplow management can become a survival strategy to hold on to your position. Those in middle management may be experiencing particular worries. Many recent rounds of layoffs at large companies like Amazon have specifically targeted middle managers, so people at that level may rightfully be worried about their jobs, says Dulski. Those middle-management layoffs also leave the remaining managers with more scope, which compounds the problem of them feeling overwhelmed and worried about their teams performance. At times like this, she says managers may overcompensate by stepping in to snowplow for their teams by helping in areas the team should be able to do on their own. Ultimately that does not always lead to better team performance, and long-term it kneecaps the ability for the team to deliver without help, says Dulski. How to deal with a snowplow manager If you realize that your manager is acting this way, there are strategies you can try. Rosencrans recommends thanking your boss for their guidance but then suggests pivoting to express an interest in more latitude at work. Consider saying something like: Id love to take more ownership of this project. Would you be open to that? Or, I noticed that some of the tasks Ive been assigned are quite limited in scope. Im keen to develop my skills further. Could we discuss ways I could take on more responsibility or contribute to higher-level work? Another strategy could be to offer to give your boss a well-needed break. Dulski suggests saying something like this to a snowplowing supervisor: I know you have a lot on your plate, and I want to find ways to support you more. Id love to take the lead on [specific task or project] to be helpful. It would also be a great learning opportunity for me. Id be happy to run with it, check in for your input, and keep you updated along the way. Im ready to jump in if that would be helpful. What to do if theres pushback If your manager resists giving you more responsibility, dont give up. Instead, try and reframe the conversation. Ask what specific skills or milestones theyd need to see before entrusting you with more complex tasks, suggests Rosencrans. This shifts the dynamic from rejection to development, giving you clear goals to work toward. In the meantime, keep a record of your contributions and successes to build a case for your growth. You can also seek opportunities outside your direct managers scopejoin cross-functional projects, find a mentor in another department, or take advantage of internal training, she says. If, after multiple attempts, your development is still blocked, consider having a respectful conversation with HR. Focus on your desire to grow and contribute more, rather than criticizing your manager, cautions Rosencrans. The goal is to advocate for your potential in a way that opens doors rather than escalates tension.
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April 2025 was a busy month for space. Pop icon Katy Perry joined five other civilian women on a quick jaunt to the edge of space, making headlines. Meanwhile, another group of people at the United Nations was contemplating a critical issue for the future of space exploration: the discovery, extraction and utilization of natural resources on the Moon. At the end of April, a dedicated Working Group of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space released a draft set of recommended principles for space resource activities. Essentially, these are rules to govern mining on the Moon, asteroids and elsewhere in space for elements that are rare here on Earth. As a space lawyer and co-founder of For All Moonkind, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting human heritage in outer space, I know that the Moon could be the proving ground for humanitys evolution into a species that lives and thrives on more than one planet. However, this new frontier raises complex legal questions. Space, legally Outer spaceincluding the Moonfrom a legal perspective, is a unique domain without direct terrestrial equivalent. It is not, like the high seas, the common heritage of humankind, nor is it an area, like Antarctica, where commercial mining is prohibited. Instead, the 1967 Outer Space Treatysigned by more than 115 nations, including China, Russia and the United Statesestablishes that the exploration and use of space are the province of all humankind. That means no country may claim territory in outer space, and all have the right to access all areas of the Moon and other celestial bodies freely. The fact that, pursuant to Article II of the treaty, a country cannot claim territory in outer space, known as the nonappropriation principle, suggests to some that property ownership in space is forbidden. Can this be true? If your grandchildren move to Mars, will they never own a home? How can a company protect its investment in a lunar mine if it must be freely accessible by all? What happens, as it inevitably will, when two rovers race to a particular area on the lunar surface known to host valuable water ice? Does the winner take all? As it turns out, the Outer Space Treaty does offer some wiggle room. Article IX requires countries to show due regard for the corresponding interests of others. It is a legally vague standard, although the Permanent Court of Arbitration has suggested that due regard means simply paying attention to whats reasonable under the circumstances. First mover advantageits a race The treatys broad language encourages a race to the Moon. The first entity to any spot will have a unilateral opportunity to determine whats legally reasonable. For example, creating an overly large buffer zone around equipment might be justified to mitigate potential damage from lunar dust. On top of that, Article XII of the Outer Space Treaty assumes that there will be installations, like bases or mining operations, on the Moon. Contrary to the free access principle, the treaty suggests that access to these may be blocked unless the owner grants permission to enter. Both of these paths within the treaty would allow the first person to make it to their desired spot on the Moon to keep others out. The U.N. principles in their current form dont address these loopholes. The draft U.N. principles released in April mirror, and are confined by, the language of the Outer Space Treaty. This tension between free access and the need to protectmost easily by forbidding accessremains unresolved. And the clock is ticking. The Moons vulnerable legacy The U.S. Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon by 2028, China has plans for human return by 2030, and in the intervening years, more than 100 robotic missions are planned by countries and private industry alike. For the most part, these missions are all headed to the same sweet spot: the lunar south pole. Here, peaks of eternal light and deep craters containing water ice promise the best mining, science and research opportunities. In this excitement, its easy to forget that humans already have a deep history of lunar exploration. Scattered on the lunar surface are artifacts displaying humanitys technological progress. After centuries of gazing at our closest celestial neighbor with fascination, in 1959 the Soviet spacecraft, Luna 2, became the first human-made object to impact another celestial body. Ten years later, two humans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, became the first ever to set foot upon another celestial body. More recently, in 2019, Chinas Change 4 achieved the first soft landing on the Moons far side. And in 2023, Indias Chandrayaan-3 became the first to land successfully near the lunar south pole. These sites memorialize humanitys baby steps off our home planet and easily meet the United Nations definition of terrestrial heritage, as they are so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future genertions of all humanity. The international community works to protect such sites on Earth, but those protection protocols do not extend to outer space. The more than 115 other sites on the Moon that bear evidence of human activity are frozen in time without degradation from weather, animal or human activity. But this could change. A single errant spacecraft or rover could kick up abrasive lunar dust, erasing bootprints or damaging artifacts. Protection and the Outer Space Treaty In 2011, NASA recommended establishing buffer, or safety zones, of up to 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) to protect certain sites with U.S. artifacts. Because it understood that outright exclusion violates the Outer Space Treaty, NASA issued these recommendations as voluntary guidelines. Nevertheless, the safety zone concept, essentially managing access to and activities around specific areas, could be a practical tool for protecting heritage sites. They could act as a starting point to find a balance between protection and access. One hundred and ninety-six nations have agreed, through the 1972 World Heritage Convention, on the importance of recognizing and protecting cultural heritage of universal value found here on Earth. Building on this agreement, the international community could require specific access protocolssuch as a permitting process, activity restrictions, shared access rules, monitoring and other controlsfor heritage sites on the Moon. If accepted, these protective measures for heritage sites could also work as a template for scientific and operational sites. This would create a consistent framework that avoids the perception of claiming territory. At this time, the draft U.N. principles released in April 2025 do not directly address the opposing concepts of access and protection. Instead, they defer to Article I of the Outer Space Treaty and reaffirm that everyone has free access to all areas of the Moon and other celestial bodies. As more countries and companies compete to reach the Moon, a clear lunar legal framework can guide them to avoid conflicts and preserve historical sites. The draft U.N. principles show that the international community is ready to explore what this framework could look like. Michelle L.D. Hanlon is a professor of air and space law at the University of Mississippi. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Were it not for his experience in North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt said he never would have become president of the United States. After his first wife and mother died on the same day in 1884, the eventual 26th president retreated to modern-day North Dakota to mourn and reflect. Next July, more than a century after Roosevelts death, a presidential library in his honor is slated to open in the state that held so much significance in his life. And the visionaries behind the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library hope a visit to the Medora, North Dakota-based library will prove as restorative to people in the modern era as this area once was for Roosevelt. That may seem an ambitious goal, but this project offers an opportunity to expand the definition of what a presidential library can be, says Edward OKeefe, chief executive officer of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. It was only fitting to take a land-first approach when celebrating a man who is synonymous with conservation and the national park system, he says. [Rendering: Snhetta] We wanted to build a place where you can learn about, and from, Theodore Roosevelt, where you can connect with friends and family and nature so you can decide what change you want to see in the world, OKeefe tells Fast Company. He wrote the book, The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt, which was released earlier this month. SOMETHING DYNAMICALLY DIFFERENT Though there was talk of building a Roosevelt library for years, the idea started to take shape in March 2020 when the foundation launched a design competition. That COVID-era timing proved serendipitous, OKeefe says, because it made the power of creating a place that would serve as a convening point all the more relevant. Later that year, Snhetta, an Oslo-based architectural firm, was unanimously selected as design architect. This is not a museum with only artifacts under glass. It is meant to be an experience, OKeefe says. Theres no point in building a presidential library to a president who has been gone for over 100 years unless youre going to do something dynamically different and for the future. [Rendering: Snhetta] Among the design elements that make this library different from others is its roof, featuring dozens of native plant species that will help the building blend seamlessly into the prairie landscape. The coming weeks will mark a milestone in the construction processthats when more than 28,000 plant plugs will be planted on the roof, which spans about three football fields in length, currently planned for June 6. The librarys architecture was inspired by a leaf atop two pebbles and is almost identical to the initial design, says Craig Dykers, lead architect for the project and co-founder of Snhetta. Once completed, people can ascend to the top of the roof for a view of the surrounding Badlands, the nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park, nighttime stargazing and, eventually, events. I can tell you, its such a dramatic experience, Dykers tells Fast Company, adding that it was important to foster a direct connection with nature that Roosevelt enjoyed. It sort of purifies your soul and allows you to see things in a unique way. Beyond the roof, the butte where the library is situated is being restored to how it might have looked when Roosevelt came west, with native grasses that are more resilient in what can be a harsh and windy environment. Local ranchers have also been consulted as part of the design process and will experiment with grazing cattle and bison on the 93-acre site. [Rendering: Snhetta] A LIVING BUILDING The library is pursuing full certification from the International Living Future Institute as part of its Living Building Challenge, the most advanced measure of sustainability. The project will serve as a model of self-sufficiency, featuring zero energy, zero emissions, zero water, and zero waste sustainability aspects. Inside the library are walls made from rammed earth, or soil thats been compressed. Its the first time in modern times this ancient technique has been used in North Dakota, and a team based out of nearby Dickinson came together to learn how to make these walls, Dykers says. From the walls to the roof and beyond, the living building is intentionally tactile so that visitors feel a connection with nature thats pervasive. In such ways, the design draws as much inspiration from the uniqueness of the land as it does the uniqueness of the man. SLOWING DOWN In addition to pouring through a wealth of biographies, academic research, and Roosevelts speeches and writings, Dykers sought to better understand how that time in North Dakota helped break the presidents spell of mourning. So the architect embarked on a nearly two-week solo hike during COVID-era lockdowns in the national park and surrounding area. To be in that place was so powerful to me, and thats exactly what happened to Teddy Roosevelt, Dykers says. [Rendering: Snhetta] Even if many people arent inclined to do the same, a kidney-shaped cultural loop that surrounds the library will ensure visitors can appreciate the land from different perspectives, Dykers notes. Thats because the design is unusual in that its essentially flat, even though the land is not, which allows people to experience the rolling landscape in a unique way, he adds. Were trying to slow people down, so they look down at their feet for a moment or look across the horizon for a moment, to get a different sense of time, Dykers says. North Dakota has an exceptional horizon. INSPIRING VISITORS For OKeefe, who grew up in North Dakota, leading the foundation after a 20-year stint as a media executive has been a coming home of sorts. The future library and surrounding land will be an opportunity to introduce more people to his beloved home state. Just as Mount Rushmore has become a landmark destination in South Dakota, OKeefe envisions the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library someday becoming the same for North Dakota. And drawing people together in a place that held almost-spiritual significance for Roosevelt may have the same effect for those who embrace it, OKeefe says. The design is evocative of this purpose in bringing people together and exposing them to nature and trying to inspire them to live more purposeful lives, OKeefe says. The journey is the destination.
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