The Gardener

There's a kind of gardener who can't resist pulling up plants to check the roots. They want to see progress. The problem is — the checking kills the growth.

Leadership works the same way.

The more you hover, the less your team grows. The more you check, the less they own. The more you need to be needed, the less capable your team becomes.

And here's the paradox: the more unnecessary you become, the more valuable you are.

The best leaders don't make themselves essential. They make themselves optional — and that's what makes them irreplaceable.

What would change if your team believed you fully trusted them?