The Autonomy Factor

There’s one thing that drains my energy faster than almost anything else.

Micromanagement.

Not being micromanaged.

Micromanaging someone else.

Just thinking about it makes my brain tired.

Hovering over someone’s shoulder.

Checking every step.

Correcting every move.

It feels like trying to steer a bicycle by grabbing the handlebars while someone else is riding it.

Technically possible.

But extremely awkward.

And probably dangerous.

Because the part of leadership I enjoy most is the opposite.

Giving people the context they need to move forward.

Helping them see the system.

Then stepping back.

When that works, something interesting happens.

Momentum.

People don’t need constant correction.

They run.

And the system starts to move on its own.

I realized something else recently.

A big part of why I’m happy in this role right now is autonomy.

There’s space.

Space to think strategically.

Space to support colleagues.

Space to run my own projects.

And trust lives inside that space.

Someone believes you can handle things.

Someone believes your judgment is sound.

Which is a surprisingly powerful motivator.

Especially in technical work.

Engineers notice trust.

And they definitely notice when it’s missing.