How do I stop people from skipping their managers?

It feels good to be the one people come to, and saying yes to them feels helpful in the moment. But every time you grant a request that should have gone through a manager, you quietly tell everyone that the manager does not really matter. You are not just answering one question. You are teaching people to route around the structure you built. The managers notice, even if no one says it. Their authority thins each time it is bypassed, and yours grows heavier with work that was never meant to be yours. You end up overloaded and your leaders undermined, all from a series of kind, reasonable yeses. Being helpful in the small case is causing harm in the large one. Next time someone skips the line, resist the easy yes and redirect it: this is a great question for your manager, take it to them first. Say it warmly, but say it. You are not refusing to help. You are protecting the very structure that lets you help at scale.