When I first started working, I would ask my manager before adding new categories to the risk taxonomy. “Do you think we should expand this section?” The answer was usually yes, but asking became a pattern. Soon I was asking permission for things that didn’t require it.
Every time you ask permission for something you could just do, you train yourself to seek approval. Permission debt compounds. Each request makes the next one feel necessary.
The habit is invisible while it’s forming. By the time you notice it, asking feels normal and acting feels bold. That inversion is the cost.
Most doors aren’t locked. You just got used to knocking.