You struggle to trust others and tend to control outcomes.
Colline Control ran a tight ship—or, as her team liked to joke, a dictatorship.
“We need to move fast,” she’d say. “Just do it my way.”
And so, her team stopped making decisions.
At first, Colline thought everything was running smoothly. No debates. No wasted time. Just action. Her action.
Then one morning, she arrived at a meeting to find her team waiting in silence.
“Why are we just sitting here?” She asked.
“We weren’t sure what you wanted,” someone muttered.
“You usually decide for us,” another added.
Colline blinked. When had her team stopped thinking for themselves?
That afternoon, an urgent issue landed on his desk. A client needed a solution—fast.
“Why didn’t anyone handle this?” She demanded.
Her assistant shrugged. “We assumed you’d want to approve it first.”
For the first time, Colline saw the truth. Her need for control had backfired—she wasn’t leading a team, she was managing a waiting room.
So she tried something new.
At the next meeting, instead of giving orders, she asked:
“What do you think we should do?”
Silence. Her team looked at him like she was testing them.
“No, really,” she said. “I trust you. What’s the best move?”
Slowly, ideas started flowing. Her team hesitated at first, but then—they started taking ownership.
That day, Colline rewrote her leadership code. She still led—but now, her team led with her.
You struggle to trust others and tend to control outcomes.
A lack of psychological safety in teams causes low engagement.
Your team relies on you too much, limiting their growth and initiative.
Give your team more ownership—ask, “How would you approach this?”
“Whoever wants to be great must be a servant.” — Mark 10:42-45
John Michael